Farmer's Drove late 70s in the fens

[sf315]

Hello all

I have been adding a few more details to the layout and have done a bit more work on the drain.

Mainly adding depth to the water using Deluxe Materials Aqua Magic looked good when dry. Then I was looking on the net at pictures of fenland drains and noticed the algae. Mine is very fine Woodland Secnics fine scatter. I am wondering if to give it a quick coat of gloss varnish over the scatter to make it look slimey. Not sure on this one as yet may see what people reckon after DEMU Showcase.

 

Thanks Steve

[sf315]

Hello all

Last bit of detail been added around the yard and lane end today before boxing it up ready for the weekend and DEMU Showcase.

Looking forward to Saturday and its debut.

Hope to see some of you

Thanks

Steve.

[sf315]

All set up on the stage ready for the weekend

At Burton on Trent DEMU Showcase.

Hope to see a few of you.

Thanks

Steve

[sf315]

Well day one went generally ok apart from a point motor breaking. A new one was fitted and we were back up and running thanks to Andrew and Bertie keeping the show going while I was under the layout changing the motor.

Think I have a bit of misaligned track in the fiddle yard but I’ll deal with that in the morning.

Otherwise ok getting to grips with it all.

Thanks for viewing and if anyone had any pics of the layout they’d like to share please post as I like to see other people’s pics they take of my layouts to see what they think makes a picture.

Thanks and back there tomorrow for more.

Steve.

[stivesnick]

Steve

 

Saw the layout at Burton on Trent today - it looked great and some interesting stock as well

 

Regards

 

Nick.

[ess1uk]

Saw it this afternoon and it does really make you think about the fens.

Great work

[The Yorkshire Pud]

Very nice work Steve ..... amazing what a "big" scene you can create in N gauge with such a smallish layout.

 

Top marks !!

 

Simon.

[George Hudson]

Excellent stuff and I think you have really got the local feel esp from long shot vantage points.

 

Andrew

[sf315]

Thanks for the comments above.

I really enjoyed last weekend the layout worked well on the Sunday.

I was wondering about expanding the setting period to see what was running up to about 1986 as I fancy having a go at painting a class 150 in light blue with the dark around the windows was it deemed provincial livery??

Anyway it’s next outing is at Wrecrail at the end of the month.

 

Thanks Steve.

[sf315]

Thanks too to The plastic brummy for his help over the weekend operating while I went for a look round.

[stevea]

Hi, Steve

I'm emerald (very green!) with envy at your succession of superb N Gauge layouts. Only on thing missing from Farmers Drove - your trademark Superstox or Saloon stock car (for regional accuracy!) parked on a trailer in the corner of the yard! Keep up thw excellent work

Regards

Steve

[Mike Storey]

Only just caught up with this thread. What a truly great layout. The station and signal box really remind me of Whittlesey (although the platforms there are staggered, but no matter) to which I was a frequent visitor when living in Peterborough. As others have said, you have captured the feel of Fenland really, really well.

 

Just one titbit, which you may well already know, on the sugar beet traffic (from the exchanges last year). By your period, the crop was loaded into VBA's or VAA's, which I had to pay my staff overtime (out of Peterborough Station) to sweep out, both before loading and after they were returned for other traffic. In the 1980's the BSC plant at Peterborough was still working and the stench was ghastly for a month or two - we lived not far from it, in Fletton.

 

Glad the layout made it to DEMU - always a great show, but one I rarely get to from here now. Have you had any magazine photoshoot offers yet? (if not, why not - Andy????)

[sf315]

This was parked on the hard standing on the drain end.

You can see it on the video of 2mm layouts that someone shot at the weekend.

It needs its trailer though.

Thanks Steve.

[sf315]

Thanks for the info Mike regarding the beet traffic. Yes I knew they used vans but how was the beet loaded loose, bagged or in crates???

Thanks for the comments about the layout. There is a possibility of a magazine article somewhere along the way.

 

Thanks Steve

[Mike Storey]

Thanks for the info Mike regarding the beet traffic. Yes I knew they used vans but how was the beet loaded loose, bagged or in crates???

Thanks for the comments about the layout. There is a possibility of a magazine article somewhere along the way.

 

Thanks Steve

 

Hi Steve

 

Could not tell you for certain about all beet loading, but the two flows we dealt with were bagged, loaded through the door with a forked tractor on pallets but stacked manually, and the pallet withdrawn for the next load. That was the only way to maximise the load in each wagon,without using crates, which these places simply did not have the resources to do.

[stevea]

Hi, Steve

Thank you for pointing the banger out. On holiday at the moment so my IT options are limited. I'll watch for that on my return home. Excellent modelling as ever - star grade, in fact!

Regards

Steve A

[sf315]

Thanks Mike for the info

Looks like I’ll need a tractor with forks on in the yard somewhere.

Always good to get info first hand from someone who was involved with operations and how things were done on the ground.

 

Thanks Steve.

[sf315]

We had a very enjoyable day with the layout at the Wrecrail show yesterday. No major disasters all seemed ok,

thanks to Carl for having a go while i looked around and chatted.

Its looking like a busy couple of years for the layout with it now getting invites for shows.

Next outing is the end of the month at the St Johns charity show in Newcastle under Lyme my home show.

 

Thanks Steve

[sf315]

Hello all

The layout is set up and ready to go at the St John’s charity show in Newcastle under Lyme. My local show.

Trying out different train formations and giving a few new items of stock a run out this weekend.

Please say hello if you pop by.

Thanks Steve.

[sf315]

Hello all

Last outing for the layout this year next month at Redditch so have the layout set up and giving it a run.

nothing major done on the layout but another class 31 has been obtained and is in the process of being weathered.

To be finished soon are the two Polybulks the plastic brummy gave me these are N gauge society kits.

They are waiting to be sprayed grey at the moment and will be finished in Grainflow livery using the printed sides with the kit.

Looking at moving the time frame forward to mid 80s now and again as well so to use railfreight livered locos and the aforementioned Polybulks.

 

Thanks Steve

[cobbler]

Keep up the good work Steve !

 

Richard

[Bungus the Fogeyman]

Will still be following with interest

 

Disgusting of Market Harborough

[sf315]

Looking at moving the time frame forward now again not much will change

The 44 will not be used on the Toton to Whitemoor wagonload freight. The whole train may disappear actually.

The CGO grain hoppers won’t be used. It will be the polybulk and I’ll still use the blues grain hoppers although I think they were on there last legs or withdrawn by about 86 Just remembered they were converted into the green liveried 4 wheel hopper with grainflow on the side.

The 16 ton mineral wagons for sugar beet can be replaced by air braked vans as the post above from Mike Storey.

It will also allow me to use the railfreight liveried stock I have.

Setting it in 1986 DMU wise I’ll see about painting a 150 in the early provincial colours with the light blue livery. 101 and 105 will still be used.

Railfreight 31, 37, and 47s both original and red stripe will be used as I’ve got them in them liveries.

All in all it’ll be another dimension to the layout. No doubt there’s other stock I have I can use but they come to mind.

 

Anybody else with any suggestions

Thanks Steve.

[Supaned]

Looking forward to seeing it in the 1980s guise. 31 on a passenger train with a few mark 2 coaches as per the Birmingham - Norwich service?

[sf315]

Thanks for the suggestion Superned

Yes a 31 on a few mark 2 coaches would be a possibility

Not being a coach expert which type of mark 2 coaches did they use on Birmingham to Norwich services.

Thanks Steve