Farmer's Drove late 70s in the fens

[sf315]

Another from above
The fen part by the drain

Edited February 1, 2019 by sf315

[theplasticbrummy]

It's looking good Steve, but won't the water fall out the front?

[cobbler]

Can you buy N Gauge water

 

RC

[sf315]

It's finescale water

[sf315]

Last one for tonight taken looking the other way.
Trees are again from the 4D modelshop and Woodlands Seinics greenery.
The fencing is from B&H Enterprises.
Thanks Steve.

Edited February 1, 2019 by sf315

[theplasticbrummy]

It's finescale water

Where did you buy it from? Do they do P4 water?

[sf315]

I was going to use N gauge water but used finescale instead. P4 water comes in bigger bottles

[sf315]

Hi all have finished putting the vegetation on the layout.
Thanks Steve.

Edited February 1, 2019 by sf315

[jonny777]

It's looking good Steve, but won't the water fall out the front?

 

Use heavy water. That will stay in one place

[rockershovel]

It's looking good Steve, but won't the water fall out the front?

You obviously haven't been to the Fens, or seen the silty dreck that oozes along its turgid dykes...

[rockershovel]

I do like the picture in #33, above. Really captures the random combinations of Victorian brick and modern frame buildings and silos, that are so typical of the Fen country.

 

Also, the lack of topography and general sense of space which is so characteristic of this area. I can't think of anywhere else where you can see a road and a river, well drain at any rate, at the same level.

Edited March 11, 2017 by rockershovel

[stivesnick]

Great stuff!

 

The goods yard is very similar to that at Kennett station on the Cambridge to Ipswich line. The buildings are still there, although freight traffic ended many years ago.

 

Nick

[jonny777]

You obviously haven't been to the Fens, or seen the silty dreck that oozes along its turgid dykes...

 

Rather harsh, IMHO.

 

And dreck is not a Fenland word.

[rockershovel]

Rather harsh, IMHO.

 

And dreck is not a Fenland word.

No, but it IS a Dutch word, and the modern fenland landscape was basically created by Dutchmen, so I thought it justified OED informs us that it is related to Old English "threax" meaning rubbish.

 

Harsh? oh, I don't know. Anyone who thinks Terry Pratchett's River Ankh is overstated, should see the Ouse at Kings Lynn...

Edited March 11, 2017 by rockershovel

[jonny777]

The Ouse at Kings Lynn is tidal, so is mostly seawater.

[rockershovel]

The Ouse at Kings Lynn is tidal, so is mostly seawater.

So it is. Most East Anglian rivers are, up to 20 miles inland in some cases. Wisbech is a tidal port, and look at the colour of the water..

 

http://www.portofwisbech.co.uk/index.php/home-ie6/

 

http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/video_spectacular_tidal_wave_captured_in_the_river_ouse_near_king_s_lynn_1_3965867

 

Note the reference to "murky waters"...

 

The vast drainage dyke network, however, (e.g. https://www.waterways.org.uk/waterways/canals_rivers/witham_navigable_drains/pdfs/wnd_map ) is NOT tidal and all its silty discharge ends in the Ouse and Nene

 

That said, the model looks to me, like Ponders End or somewhere like that; the watercourse is one of the slow-flowing channels that converge at places like Denver Sluice or Sutton Bridge..

Edited March 12, 2017 by rockershovel

[sf315]

Hello all

Thanks Rockershovel for the links above and the comments made.

It's always interesting to read what people think of your efforts, especially those who know or even live in the area that you are depicting.

Now I've done some of the scenery next up I am going to fit the electromagnetic uncouplers which as usual will be the trusty SEEP magnet. These are what I've always used on my layouts.

 

Many thanks for looking

Steve

[jonny777]

So it is. Most East Anglian rivers are, up to 20 miles inland in some cases. Wisbech is a tidal port, and look at the colour of the water..

 

http://www.portofwisbech.co.uk/index.php/home-ie6/

 

http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/video_spectacular_tidal_wave_captured_in_the_river_ouse_near_king_s_lynn_1_3965867

 

Note the reference to "murky waters"...

 

The vast drainage dyke network, however, (e.g. https://www.waterways.org.uk/waterways/canals_rivers/witham_navigable_drains/pdfs/wnd_map ) is NOT tidal

 

I do know this, (although much of it would be tidal if their were no sluices).

 

I was born in the Fens; so were my ancestors. Most of my surviving relatives still live there.

 

I am simply just defending the region.

 

The reason water doesn't flow quickly is because there is no gradient, and, as was illustrated in Boston a few years ago, if the high tide is whipped up by strong winds and a deep low pressure, sea water will still inundate the area.

 

I think the model is great, and the silos remind me a little of Heygates at Downham.

[rockershovel]

Re #43, I don't really follow your point. The Fens are a complex, largely artificial landscape in which big-money agri-business plays out its scenario of profit and loss, creating a lot of wealth in the process. I've always found it bleak and depressing to look at, a place of "roads that go nowhere, and trains that stop everywhere" but it's a fascinating place.

 

My wife comes from deepest Norfolk; her family abandoned the effort long ago and moved to the relative prosperity of Cambridge, Peterborough and Norwich; the remaining family (in the A16/A47 area, as it happens) are referred to as "the hillbillies", which has always struck me as a rather odd use of the term.

 

Still, back to the OP. It really does capture those isolated station yards which can be seen around the region to the present, mostly now re-used as plant hire yards, container stacks or other industrial uses.

Edited March 12, 2017 by rockershovel

[George Woodcock]

Hello Steve

 

        The layout is looking really good, perhaps I should build a Fenland layout now. I've just learned this weekend that Fenchurch St Peter will feature in the next edition of Rail Express Modeller. By the way I think you need more tractors. See you soon.

 

                                                                                                     Cheers

 

                                                                                                              George

[sf315]

Thanks George

Great I'll look forward to seeing FSP in the mag. Yes perhaps have a go at a Fenland layout now you and Nobby have had a practice with FSP.

Tractor wise I've a couple of more kits to build.

See you about

Steve.

[batrapyr]

Steve, that is one impressive (and accurate) representation of The Fens. As pointed out (earlier) the silos do, indeed, look like Heygates at Downham Market and plans to add one or more (many) tractors would be fully justified.

 

I have moved around over the years, from the Downs of Sussex, the mountains to the west of Wrexham (Bwlchgwyn), I now reside in Welney not far from the (in)famous Wisbech & Upwell Tramway and flatness of The Fens was a bit of a shock when I first arrived. I had become accustomed to sheep wandering everywhere and every other property seemed to have a JCB, of some sort, in the driveway. But The Fens also has its fair share of 'uniqueness' that makes it instantly recognisable. You have already captured some of the essence of the region but there are a couple of things that, as an outsider, I identified as being NFN (Normal For Norfolk)....

 

Nissan Huts - These leftovers from WWII airbases seem to have been repurposed as worksheds on many properties, even in residential areas. Often painted a dull green to blend in with the background.

Potholes - With a peat everywhere, roads frequently 'breakup' and are in a constant state of disrepair. I suspect that this would be true regardless of what era was being modelled.

Black fields - If not covered by a crop, every field appears to be almost black

Hedges - Noticeable by their absence.

Irrigation systems - Every field (in crop) seems to have machinery to deliver vast jets of water - that would be a modelling challenge! Possibly a modern practice but fields would have needed some form of irrigation from shortly after The Fens were first drained.

Horses - A distinct lack of commercial livestock (cows/sheep) but lots and lots of pastures set out for equine activities.

Wind - With nothing to stop it, wind plays a major role in the landscape. Everywhere you turn there is evidence of trees that have fallen during past storms.

Drains - Not you household waste water system. This is the name given to those long, straight waterways, each of which seems to have an odd name that may refer to its depth or width (i.e. Forty Foot Drain, Hundred Foot Drain).

 

I hope that some of the above suggestions might help :-)

[rockershovel]

Steve, that is one impressive (and accurate) representation of The Fens. As pointed out (earlier) the silos do, indeed, look like Heygates at Downham Market and plans to add one or more (many) tractors would be fully justified.

 

I have moved around over the years, from the Downs of Sussex, the mountains to the west of Wrexham (Bwlchgwyn), I now reside in Welney not far from the (in)famous Wisbech & Upwell Tramway and flatness of The Fens was a bit of a shock when I first arrived. I had become accustomed to sheep wandering everywhere and every other property seemed to have a JCB, of some sort, in the driveway. But The Fens also has its fair share of 'uniqueness' that makes it instantly recognisable. You have already captured some of the essence of the region but there are a couple of things that, as an outsider, I identified as being NFN (Normal For Norfolk)....

 

Nissan Huts - These leftovers from WWII airbases seem to have been repurposed as worksheds on many properties, even in residential areas. Often painted a dull green to blend in with the background.

Potholes - With a peat everywhere, roads frequently 'breakup' and are in a constant state of disrepair. I suspect that this would be true regardless of what era was being modelled.

Black fields - If not covered by a crop, every field appears to be almost black

Hedges - Noticeable by their absence.

Irrigation systems - Every field (in crop) seems to have machinery to deliver vast jets of water - that would be a modelling challenge! Possibly a modern practice but fields would have needed some form of irrigation from shortly after The Fens were first drained.

Horses - A distinct lack of commercial livestock (cows/sheep) but lots and lots of pastures set out for equine activities.

Wind - With nothing to stop it, wind plays a major role in the landscape. Everywhere you turn there is evidence of trees that have fallen during past storms.

Drains - Not you household waste water system. This is the name given to those long, straight waterways, each of which seems to have an odd name that may refer to its depth or width (i.e. Forty Foot Drain, Hundred Foot Drain).

 

I hope that some of the above suggestions might help :-)

Depending on the period, some other characteristic East Anglian features;

 

1) roadside hard standings, piled with beets during the "Campaign"

2) rows of six to ten 1930s council houses, in the middle of nowhere, usually on an access drove perpendicular to, or parallel to, the main road. At least one will have a garishly painted "stock car" in the front yard. The grouping on the A47 near Guyhirn is a classic of the type.

3) pillboxes, another WW2 leftover. Usually tucked into the corner of a field. Often brick construction with a concrete roof slab

4) abrupt turns in otherwise straight minor roads, for no visible reason

5) windmills, in various states of disrepair

6) brick pump houses, usually with a tall chimney on the older ones. These are not the Cornish Beam Engine type, but brick structures containing electric pumps

7) Fenland small towns have a very characteristic appearance, apparently built with total disregard for any kind of planning. Random selections of half-timbered, through to 1930s brick buildings as the original dispersed layout was infilled over time. Nothing later than about 1950. Small supermarkets are common, especially the Co-op, because the big ones are all in the cities.

8) hump-backed Road bridges over minor waterways

[batrapyr]

1) roadside hard standings, piled with beets during the "Campaign"

2) rows of six to ten 1930s council houses, in the middle of nowhere, usually on an access drove perpendicular to, or parallel to, the main road. At least one will have a garishly painted "stock car" in the front yard. The grouping on the A47 near Guyhirn is a classic of the type.

3) pillboxes, another WW2 leftover. Usually tucked into the corner of a field. Often brick construction with a concrete roof slab

4) abrupt turns in otherwise straight minor roads, for no visible reason

5) windmills, in various states of disrepair

6) brick pump houses, usually with a tall chimney on the older ones. These are not the Cornish Beam Engine type, but brick structures containing electric pumps

7) Fenland small towns have a very characteristic appearance, apparently built with total disregard for any kind of planning. Random selections of half-timbered, through to 1930s brick buildings as the original dispersed layout was infilled over time. Nothing later than about 1950. Small supermarkets are common, especially the Co-op, because the big ones are all in the cities.

8) hump-backed Road bridges over minor waterways

 

7/8. Have to disagree with the windmills. The only one that know of is at Denver.

 

I had forgotten about the pillboxes but you are 100% spot on. One can be seen on the left-hand side of the A141 as you leave Chatteris, headed towards March. Also, the combination of 4 (abrupt turns) and 8 (hump-backed bridges) are a complete nightmare but very characteristic.

[sf315]

Garishly painted stock car

I have been following and involved with stock car racing since the early 70s more so the open wheel purpose built cars rather than a banger but I have had bangers on trailers on layouts.

I was actually planning a banger in the yard on its trailer ready for the weekend racing at Wisbech or Boston.

Thanks