Hebble End

[locotracteur351]

After much debate, research and scheming, I have decided that I will share my endeavours into creating a layout that portrays the atmosphere of the Calder Valley line in the late fifties/early sixties. I would love to model one of the stations exactly as-was (Hebden Bridge or Todmorden would be a future plan when I get space) but I just don't have the room to do it without compression and compromise. I have always fancied a circular layout, a multi height figure of eight with fiddle yards galore just to run long trains, but I don't really find layouts that are all track very satisfying.

 

 

The track plan above is based on Eastwood (between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden) that was closed in the early fifties to passenger traffic and in the mid sixties altogether. I am combining elements of Eastwood, Hebden Bridge and Todmorden to create (hopefully) the atmosphere of this section of the Calder Valley with its steep sides and cramped bottom. The outer diameter of the layout is 3.00m with the inner cut-out set eccentrically within it to give space for hidden sidings (around 5.50-6.00m in length) that could hold two long trains in either direction (Blackpool excursion, coal full/empties, Red Bank parcels) as well as three shorter trains in either direction (110 DMU, local and trans-pennine steam hauled workings, pick-up goods, parcels, rail trains to/from Castleton). The siding next to the end of the platform will be used for local deliveries and there are the coal staithes opposite one of the platofrms, so there will hopefully be adequate scope for shunting and reversing of trains.

 

I don't know much about signalling, but I would like to include functioning signalling throughout. I am also not sure about the track layout, I think that if the crossover to the coal staithes (opposite the Leeds platform) was a single slip, it could be used to reverse trains arriving from the Leeds direction. The section of four-track are passing sidings, allowing coal trains and other slower workings to be held whilst faster trains clatter in and out of one of the many tunnels down the valley. The curved diamonds on the narrowest board are on the flat (as is the whole layout - a benefit of the steep sided valley is that it can easily conceal the inner sidings) and will be in what appears to be a short tunnel. I envisage the scenery to cover completely the boards, and the layout will have to be operated from inside so the fiddle yards can be seen (unless I come up with something). I do have room to set this up in the living room at home, hence the size, but for the most part I can work on it in chunks until I need to test it.

 

I am also taking the opportunity to convert from 00 gauge to EM, it looks good and I can convert locos as I rebuild/detail them, so it doesn't bother me. I am slowly collecting stock and I'm sure that it will take me a long tome to collect enough, but then again, the layout is hardly going to be a quick job! I already have a jinty and a WD converted to EM, detailed and renumbered as locos that frequented the Calder Valley around this time as well as numerous other locos that I have yet to work my magic on. I hope that I can get help, advice and ideas from everyone on here and that I can achieve the standards that are shown on a lot of the layouts that feature on this forum.

 

I will look forward to hearing any thoughts, and update this as I progress or develop my ideas.

 

Jagger