A new challenge, Oakworth station

[traction]

All of my layouts have been small and simple using set track and have been taken to exhibitions for the children to play with.

 

I was taken with Bachmann's Railway Children train pack and it gave me the idea to build Oakworth station.

I'm only going to include the level crossing at the left hand side all the way to the end of the sidings on the right hand side.

It wont be very wide, just a strip of grass at the front up to the main line then extending towards the back up to the back of the car park.

 

The thing is, having roughly measured it out using google maps it works out to be about 3m long, in OO, possibly a little more, it will be approx 450mm front to back.

 

I plan on using code 75 Electrofrog points....all two of them!!

Never used code 75 so will make a nice change.

 

The question is do I make it a bit shorter in length to make it more manageable and will allow me to put all baseboards together to build it, or do I just keep it as close to the correct length scaled from google maps?

 

There is a funny bit of point work after the goods shed, I've used a single slip to replicate how it seems to work.

 

 

I've scaled off google maps and hopefully if I've got it right everything should be in about the right place, with the sidings the correct distance apart.

That layout would 3.5m or 11.5feet long!!! OK not that long compared to some layouts but it is when you don't have that sort of room available.

I'm just wondering if it would still look OK to shrink it all down further, or if it will just ruin the look of it.

I'm not after super fine scale perfectly replicated,  just a feel for the station and goods yard, I just don't want to condense it down too much and it looks completely wrong.

 

I need some pictures of the shed side that's away from the tracks, not seen that side of it and haven't manage to find a photo yet.

 

Any thoughts most welcome.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

Edited April 25, 2017 by traction

[tamperman36]

the choice is entirley yours however it is quite normal for people to "compress" the track plan when modelling a real location. It supprises most people just how much room is needed to model a certain location.

[DCB]

I would wait until Bachmann bring out a working shunting horse because without one I can't see how you would shunt the goods shed.

[traction]

 

Edited April 25, 2017 by traction

[Jub45565]

Interesting project - the current/preserved layout is quite different to the original layout, which had a runround loop and siding feedjng back towards the station, & even towards the end of BR days I would think there would have been more shunting than there is in preservation.

 

Preservation gives a wider variety in stock passing through the station though, so horses for courses! The original had quite a variety over time though.

[ejstubbs]

If it helps at all with the shunting 'issues', the OS shows the goods loop still in place in 1969 - which is close enough to when the film was being shot (and is in the preservation era, so 'anything goes' could still apply if required):

 

 

However, the road through the goods shed appears to have been lifted at that time.  And the passing loop was long gone by then, of course (there's a photo on eBay of the station in 1960 showing the passing loop not there) although AIUI the level crossing is still two tracks wide.

 

Then again, one should never rely on the OS to be 100% accurate with details like this.  And there's always Rule 1...

 

Update: Google Streetview indicates that the LC is indeed still two tracks wide.

Edited April 25, 2017 by ejstubbs

[Alex TM]

Hi everyone,

 

Having been there a couple of times in the last three years I didn't realise just how big it was reading the OP.  I seem to remember that in the station office there is a framed print of the original trackplan.  I did have some pics of it but they're on a back-up disc that, at the moment, I cannot find!

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[ejstubbs]

The original track plan can be seen pretty clearly on the 1933 25inch OS map:

 

 

The main difference cf 1969 is the presence of the passing loop (including trailing access to the goods yard) and of course the road through the goods shed, which seems to have gone in 1969 (TBC) but is definitely there now.  It's not clear whether the trailing goods yard access from the loop was via a crossing or back-to-back turnouts.  I suspect the former, which means that when the loop was removed the crossing would have been replaced by a turnout.

[Roadrails]

And Frizinghall Signal Box was there until 1971!

https://m.facebook.com/WorthValleyRailway/photos/a.152903644763355/2826783854041974/?type=3

It later became Damems Junction

Edited September 19, 2021 by Roadrails