andyrush Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Hello all After a few months ‘lurking’, I suppose I ought to introduce myself. My name is Andy Rush and I have been interested in model railways all my life, a tendency I inherited from my father who was a notable 7mm scale modeller and a founder member of the Gauge 0 Guild. I progressed through the usual 00 gauge toy train set phase and joined the Model Railway Club in London in my early teens, becoming involved with their exhibition layouts of the 1960’s. In the early 1970’s, together with the late Nigel Hunt, I constructed and exhibited a P4 layout named Swaveney, before getting the historical research bug and becoming mostly inactive so far as modelling was concerned. Retirement and a change in personal circumstances led to the construction of a large G scale garden railway, which has provided much summer activity for the last four years, with regular open days and operating sessions. The vacating of an upstairs bedroom by a departing stepson has now given me the opportunity to embark on the creation of a 4mm scale model railway to play with in the winter time. It will be a rather loose representation of Twenty Feet River, the signal box at the northern end of Whitemoor Yard in Cambridgeshire in the winter of 1956. Although somewhat compressed, the main scenic part of the layout will allow all of the prototypical moves to be reproduced and, with the current and already announced RTR locos, a reasonable stab at the services in the Working Timetable can be attempted. The design of the line takes into account that the bedroom is situated next to a loft in an adjacent extension and therefore allows the track to leave the room on one side through a hole in the wall, run round the loft and reappear through another hole in the wall to form a large roundy roundy if I want to use it in that manner. There will be, however, four through lines in the loft, each of them with four berths, allowing for the potential standage of 16 trains out of the way ! Part of the layout in the bedroom is being built as a freelance marshalling yard and loco depot to allow the reforming and re-engining of trains as they progress round the circuit. The minimal passenger services on the GN & GE Joint Line are catered for by one hidden carriage siding for the Harwich – Liverpool Boat Train set and a series of cassettes to cater for the other services. The layout will be operated using DCC, as I already have experience of this system through the garden railway, and will be partially operated using Railroad & Co software, assuming I can figure out how to get it to do the things that I want. Reading some of the threads on this site and elsewhere gives me confidence that there are plenty of people willing to answer questions when I get stuck. I’ll post pictures etc when there is something to show apart from my abysmal carpentry. For those that are interested, Googling ‘Ruschbahn’ will show what I play with in the summer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyrush Posted April 8, 2010 Author Share Posted April 8, 2010 Some progress has been made, and trains are running by dint of various wiring lash ups. Before I start exercising my digital camera, here is a plan of the scenic area representing Twenty Feet River signal box, level crossing and underline bridge, on one side of the room. Comparison with the photographs will make it clear where I am having to adopt subterfuge to allow for the straight length of somewhat under 8 feet, before the line to the south has to wrap itself round an impossible curve. The photograph of the old signal box and crossing was taken on 05.04.1969, and the one looking south across bridge No.1842 past the new 'signal box' is dated 16.04.1983, after the line closed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Hi Andy, Welcome to the forum, i'm surprised no-one has alreay done so but allow me to be the first! An interesting history you've got there, i know of a few other people who followed their father into railway modelling but chose a different scale! Not me, my dad was into boating! Great plans you have there and it looks a very interesting concept for a fascinating part of the world, keep up the good work! Will watch with interest. Cheers, John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Mc Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Hi Andy Welcome to the forum and what a wonderful plan you got there. Im sure you will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the forum and I am looking forward to reading your posts. I am hoping...early days yet that my 6 week old son (my first) will as you did follow in your Dads footsteps. I am hoping it is an interest that we can both share together. I had a look at Ruschbahn and it is mostly European is that correct?...or did I get the wrong layout? Cheers Martin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyrush Posted April 8, 2010 Author Share Posted April 8, 2010 Thanks John and Martin for your kind comments. Yes, the Ruschbahn is a freelance line based on the RhB in Switzerland and I'm gradually 'backdating' things so that it looks more like the mid-1930's timeframe that I have in mind. After playing trains at Trainwest at Melksham, we spend a week or so refurbishing the Ruschbahn after its winter rest. A couple more prototype images to do with Twenty Feet River. The first is the plan for the extension of the existing signal box in connection with the opening of Whitemoor yard - it had its lower section bricked up during WW2. The second is a view of the down side girder of bridge No.1842 in 1983 Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
agentskj Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Looks a good vieing specticle Sam Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyrush Posted April 13, 2010 Author Share Posted April 13, 2010 So, here we go to the loft. The first picture shows what it has been used for up to now - it's an archive store for a large collection of magazines together with sundry diagrams and drawings. The next image shows where the two track section from Twenty Feet River becomes four roads. The third picture shows the hole in the wall leading to Twenty Feet River with an up parcels train about to be stopped there, having been the subject of 6 bells from Murrow West due to the lack of a tail lamp! Next we see the four tracks at the other side of the loft Finally, a view towards a series of junctions and the other hole in the wall beyond which a fictional location named Eastmoor Yard can be found. A prolonged pause will now take place whilst the garden railway is refurbished for its summer activities and I go for a holiday in Germany (including the Harzbahn, the Rugen and the Mollibahn - not to mention Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg) Regards Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyrush Posted April 13, 2010 Author Share Posted April 13, 2010 How many bells has that parcels train had ? SEVEN, of course ! Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
18B Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 How many bells has that parcels train had ? SEVEN, of course ! Andy Shouldn't it be 4-5 and 9, never remember which round it is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggesford box Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Shouldn't it be 4-5 and 9, never remember which round it is. 9 beats to the box in advance, 4-5 to the box in the rear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunnyrail Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I had the sad task of demolishing this layout, some of the Stock and Track has come to me for my Horbury Bridge inspired Coal Railway. Some has gone to his Daughters Partner, sundry friends with the rest going to a dealer. 20ft itself went into the skip, there was nothing that could be done about that. The boards in the loft have Been left for the new owners of the property to use as Storage. A sad end to an inspired Model Railway. JonD Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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