Jump to content
 

N Gauge (or "so I did something silly...")


cromptonnut

Recommended Posts

A while ago, I started working for Southern so had my eye on one of the 171's produced a few years ago, either in N or OO.  During a chance visit to Paignton Model Shop earlier this week I noticed a Farish one in the second hand cabinet at a reasonable price so following a quick discussion with the domestic authorities permission was granted to procure said model.

 

However, I'm a bit unsure quite what to do with it now that I've got it - as it seems a shame to leave it in its box or just sitting on a small diorama as a static model.  The prototype in Southern livery, of course, has a very limited area of operation - essentially the Uckfield Line, and the "Marshlink" (Ashford to Hastings) line.

 

The Uckfield line is a dead end, served only by the 171s and the occasional leafbuster/sandite train, and its only "possible interest" could be Eridge and the interface with the Spa Valley Line.

 

The Marshlink line only has the occasional nuclear flask working .

 

There are no other suitable modern image units available to run alongside the 171, enabling me to model anything where there could be anything of any real interest to run with it.

 

Which leaves me with a bit of a dilemma as to what to model.  I have lots of stored N gauge track and stock but most of it is based in the 1980s/1990s and long before the 171's were introduced so pretty much no passenger stock, very few locos and not much freight would be suitable.  It's also mostly older Poole Farish/Bachmann so DCC isn't really an option.   I don't want this to be a massive project with lots of expense.

 

Obviously Eridge stands out as a possibility for the Uckfield line (although essentially an hourly service in each direction, plus the occasional visit from the preserved stock into the bay) but I am always nervous of trying to portray a real location as there are always compromises and people are very forward in pointing them out to you.

 

Somewhere on the Marshlink line, for the occasional nuclear flask train, would be similar because it also has an hourly service.

 

A layout of essentially one train shuttling up and down from nowhere to nowhere via something doesn't hold a great deal of interest.  There is no rtr MPV in N gauge (although I am aware of someone on here making one) and you can only have so many 'visiting railtours'.

 

So what do I do?  Make up something as a "what if" type of layout (such as along the North Down Lines, on the assumption that Southern ran Gatwick-Guildford instead of Great Western's Reading-Guildford service) which still doesn't leave me many options as even if I was to purchase some modern liveried stock, there isn't a huge amount available on the market to go with it apart from perhaps the Kato Eurostars if I modelled Ashford, but that still leaves no other passenger stock to go alongside it.  Even Guildford (which is too big to do justice in the space I have) would require Farish 350's modified/reliveried with Electra sides, which is a possibility but expensive.

 

What would you do in this situation?  Am I missing something obvious that could lend itself to a compact model, not necessarily a terminus, but with the opportunity for a little freight even if it meant a couple of purchases?

Link to post
Share on other sites

If someone did a body for a 377, and someone like Electra did vinyl sides, it opens up many other possibilities - even somewhere like South Croydon would be a possibility - BUT it seems that there is no interest from the manufacturers in the Electrostar family of trains.

 

But so far I have found nothing whatsoever for the 377 in N gauge even as a starting point.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well worth a visit Paignton Model Shop (Centre?) not far from the station, a real friendly helpful old school model shop. The guy test ran a Bachmann Pannier we bought to prove it was OK before we bought it as we were 100 plus miles from home, not just up and down a plank but round a layout very impressed.

Link to post
Share on other sites

377's usually do the East Grinstead runs. Could be an interesting possibility if I could find evidence of a 171 there though...

EG not being electrified is a plausible what if. Or just add in the notion that the WLL service is run by LM and runs to EG (that service was run using 350s for a while by Southern, too).

Another possible would be somewhere south of Uckfield.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Personally I've always fancied the notion that East Grinstead High Level never closed, so the Three Bridges - Tunbridge Wells West service remained and could easily take a 171.  But that still doesn't get round needing a 377 for the lower level.

 

I think a 'what if' is likely to be my only option, although Betchworth (Guildford-Gatwick being run by Southern rather than the FGW service) with the quarry remaining open, or becoming an oil terminal (given the "massive oil field" that is apparently under the area) as a freight option may have a certain appeal particularly as Betchworth Quarry was used for 'surface shots' for the planets Cephlon, Exbar, Sardos, Xenon and Betafarl in various shots of Blakes 7, another interest of mine.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Having done some quick calculating, and found an APA box I thought I'd lost a long time ago - I have an idea for a very simple micro-layout which will probably never win any awards, or gain much interest, but what it does do is give me an opportunity to build something in a small space (APA box plus fiddle stick either end) that, more or less, will reach 4ft 8 1/2" in total because I can.

 

It'll give me an opportunity to test a few scenic techniques that I haven't before, and I think it'll be a fun opportunity.  Might even be able to take it to some local exhibitions next year if anyone's interested.

 

When I've got some wood bits cut (which probably won't be this week as I'm working) for the frame, I'll start a thread.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...