Kingbarrow Railway Centre

[Jwnewall]

Hello! I'm James Newall. I am turning 16 soon and i'm currently living on the Isle of Portland, Dorset.

 

Kingbarrow Railway Centre is based in East Devon in the 2000+ Era. People usually model what their childhood was, for example a GWR terminus, mine was the West Somerset Railway. Holidays to Butlins in Minehead every year always involved a full day on the heritage line, so it is not a surprise that this was my childhood inspiration. Kingbarrow is the name of a quarry down the road from where I live.

 

Modelling heritage railways is an odd one. People usually use it as an excuse to run anything, or their layout looks like the Hornby TrackMat. Now, I have nothing against this, but it does lower the fondness towards modelling heritage and preservation lines. Now, I am using the excuse to run anything, however I use the term 'not a Eurostar on a branch line' so I will keep the variety in range. My layout will be modeled as prototypical as possible to keep the general viewers satisfied that I am taking this seriously.

 

Anyways, the baseboards are divided up into 3 sections, the fiddle yard, the junction and the run around loop. 2 boards are scenic. The track is a mix of Hornby and Peco, the buildings are Hornby and Metcalfe, but plan to be modified heavily. The power to the layout is from a Gaugemaster type D controller. The layout has 2 platforms, and a locomotive restoration shed. With the heritage feel various buildings, such as the goods shed which has been tuned into a railway museum, and rolling stock body's will be lying around but not just plonked on the baseboard. A small glimpse of a terrace street can be seen, but other than that the land is relatively flat. The railway itself takes inspiration from the likes of the Dean Forest Railway for the size that is is, and the locos and rolling stock it owns. I plan on changing the engine shed at a later date.

 

The layout has been booked to feature at the Weymouth Model Railway Show in the 28th & 29th of October.

 

Fell free to give advise and comment, perfectly ok with constructive criticism. I hope you like me taking an interest with heritage in retrospect.

 

Please do mind the background, its my brothers bedroom I swear!

Edited March 18, 2017 by Jwnewall

[Jwnewall]

Work on the platforms has begun. The same height as the Hornby platforms, these are chipboard wood with a few pine pieces from the scrap box at school. Metcalfe platform tops are not needed but just easier to use, and the platform edges are from Peco, with parts cut off to fit the custom platforms. The card covers the holes on the sides.

[Modelling Mike]

Hi James, looks like a great layout you have there! I'm also modelling the preservation scene, and it's great to see someone else modelling it seriously. It's a shame that more modellers don't see the potential.

 

Keep up the good work. I'll be following with interest.

 

Mike

[Benjamin Brady]

James

 

    Good to see the younger ones entering .

 

    Plenty of time before your show ,  as Mike said, will be watching your propress , to keep you on track for your show in October ,

 

    Cheers

[Jwnewall]

Yeah I got my first set in christmas 2006, the Hornby Thomas and Bill set from the Exeter Model Shop. Since then I have been collecting. Only last year did I buy my first Proper model, the Hornby Sentinel, which I got from selling a lot of items, a good lesson of selling! Next came along a Class 45xx, which is very West Somerset Railway inspired, but can work on a small line of the likes of the Dean Forest Railway. The third and model is the Huntley and Palmers Peckett, which I searched 2 months for and found it in deep Wales! My step-dad works at the recycling centre and all the Triang stuff comes from there.

[Jwnewall]

Over the past few weeks I have been nibbling at a few things, but not worth an update, but today was a big change!

 

First, The houses and goods shed was moved around. Now, a car park will occupy where the goods shed and the houses were. The goods shed has been moved to the front of the board, and the houses are gone, as they were falling to pieces. For the heritage attraction, an Oxford ice cream van has been acquired for the summer months! The station ramp that comes with the metcalfe kit has been modified to fit the edge of the platform, and will be cleaned up.

 

 

 

A station has been purchased to replace the metcalfe one. Im not sure what name, but its a Hornby one from 2011. It was brought from ebay for £15! a small chip but it is hardly noticeable, and well worth a £40 discount!

 

 

Other than that a lot of work has been put into the wiring. The sections of tracks now have isolators and a control panel will be added on the next update.

 

 

[Jwnewall]

A few photos from last night whilst finding spaces for items from the spares box!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made custom signs for the area too, much inspiration was from last weeks trip to the Swanage Railway! They came out pretty well and will go onto card.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Jwnewall

[Jwnewall]

Sorry for the lack of updates! I'm currently in Year 11 and taking my GCSE's, also my room is being changed around, so the layout has had little change!

 

A teaser photo for the time being!

 

 

[Benjamin Brady]

James 

 

   Glad to see work is still progressing , and i do like the changes , are we still on track for the show ???.

[Jwnewall]

Yes still attending. Been doing it for 2 years and the manager always leaves space for me, layout number 2 of 30!

 

Thanks for the comments

[Jwnewall]

Right, a full report for April, May and the beginning of June on the Kingbarrow Heritage Centre layout!

 

*Layout had a new table to sit on, as was getting damaged under the bed

 

 

* Signs added to station, museum

 

*Station ramp/stairs in place, station fencing and hillside

 

 

*Portacabin for workmen 

 

 

*Luggage coach added as a restraunt

 

 

*Engine shed brought and roof painted from light grey to dark grey

 

 

*New Heljan 1366 class '1369' with modified siderods

 

 

*Point motors added and partly wired.

 

*Cameo items brought (telephone box, bins, oil barrels, pallats, engine parts and trees)

 

[Jwnewall]

Backboards are cut and now up! Nuts and Bolts are used but they are free standing for the time being.

 

A new table is present, as with the last one the layout was overhanging! Its just a simple but long fold up table

 

Also, the first part of ballasting has laid!

[Jwnewall]

Sorry for no updates, but work on the layout has improved a lot!

 

*Yard and station track ballasted

*Hills covered in greenery

*Shrubs around the layout

*Goods shed rood replaced and painted

*Hill behind station foundations laid and covered in grass

*backscenes painted and awaiting scenery

*Huntley and Palmers loco replaced with name 'Gwen'

 

 

[380John]

Well done,

 

Nice progress there it's coming along nicely.

 

All the best with it

Cheers,

 

John

[Jwnewall]

A short update - The layout at the club last night!

 

[Jwnewall]

The layout has under a month until its first exhibition at Weymouth, So more jobs are progressing as we come nearer!

 

Template for the front board which will hold the light and layout name

 

 

I brought a long 28 watt light as the area I normally have my layout is often dim, So this should work a treat for viewing!

 

 

Various station progress

 

 

Various yard progress

 

 

Pictures taken of Weymouth shop fronts for the backscene. Makes me more proud of the backscene and will be an easteregg for the locals!

 

Edited October 5, 2017 by Jwnewall

[Modelling Mike]

Great progress there, James. Glad to see you're on track for your first exhibition.

[Jwnewall]

Its not my first, I've been twice before actually.

 

I displayed a Thomas & Friends layout as I always noticed an absence of child friendly layouts at exhibitions. So I got a picnic table and made a railway on it. Raising over £150 for the National Autistic Society over those 2 years was well worth it. I also got other thomas modelers to come along as a small gathering.

 

[Modelling Mike]

What a brilliant thing to do! I love the picnic table idea - I bet the kids all loved it. Well done raising so much money too. Definitely worth it.

[Jwnewall]

Light board added and hung up, a bit warped but hoping to put hot towels and a few books over it!

 

1 week away, probably the last update till after the exhibition

 

 

 

[Jwnewall]

A very successful appearance at its first show, the Weymouth Model Railway Exhibition! i was up till 11pm the night before making sure the uncoupler worked. The layout received a lot of praise and people returning to see the layout. Kids loved that I had Thomas on the layout and a few Thomas trucks, and the welding light in the shed catched a lot of eyes too. People were saying they liked how "honest" I was on the notice board about model heritage railways.

 

Minor improvements for next time however. Overall I will be adding scenery to the layout but the uncoupler got caught on the ballast a few times and bent almost 90 degrees out, it was easy to bend back and work again but this happened 2 or 3 times throughout the show. The other problem was I didn't have a breakfast-bar chair, so my legs were shattered after each day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me with the layout, although I hate it as the fleece makes me look fat! Oh dear

[Giz Puk]

Hi Shippers!!!!!!!!

Stop knocking yourself down, if I were you I'd be proud of what you've achieved and have the photo in a folder with others to record all the shows you attend.

Having looked through the photos within this thread, I love the idea of using the Hornby goods shed as a museum and was wondering if you would mind if I adapted this idea when I build a layout for my grandson as I think its brilliant.

Don't laugh but I too have been collecting the thomas range as I know he will love to use them, first on his layout then on mine once he is bigger.

My main layout will be called 'Jubilee' as it is based on the Hornby range from 1977 to 1979 with additional modern items as well, and my aim is to illustrate what can be achieved by adding brick paper, posters and other items for minimal cost.

Once again brilliant effort and I look forward to more updates.

 

By the way my wife laughs at my bald spot......... but I don't care...... she's only jealous because its my layout and I choose who gets to have a go.

as they say in Brizol.....'Crackin' layout Grommit'.

 

Yours Aye,

Giz

[andyram]

Just had chance to read through this thread. What a lovely layout. Great to see the preservation era modelled in a prototypical way. I look forward to seeing and reading more.

[1722]

Just stumbled across this and am very glad I am. Spent an enjoyable half hour reading the thread from top to bottom. What a super little layout and as already said, it's great to see preservation properly modelled. I particularly love the shed area - reminds me of when I was little and my Dad and myself would wander up to the sheds/works at the end of the Llangollen platform and have a look.

 

Excellent work - congratulations on it's first - of many, I'm sure - exhibition.

[ess1uk]

Just read through.

Like the layout.

Great work.