Great Northern in the Fens

[kirtleypete]

I have just completed a 00 layout for a customer depicting an unusual prototype, an ex GNR line in the fens of Lincolnshire. The period is around 1955 and the layout includes a section of 009 representing one of the numerous potato railways that once served the area. The layout is set in autumn, the time when the potato harvest is brought in. 

 

 

The seven sidings on the left serve as the fiddle yard, much more attractive than just track on plywood. In the foreground is the lifting access flap, hence the very visible gaps. This section still needs some more signals.

 

 

Looking to the right from the doorway, the narrow gauge is on the right running along a loading bank. 

 

 

 

Other than the Bell Inn most of the non railway structures come from Thorney, as do the pictures on the backscene. The Bell is an Elgoods pub, very appropriate for the area. 

 

The buildings on the backscene look fine from normal viewing levels; the camera plays funny tricks with them. 

 

 

The opposition in the station forecourt! The main building is a mix of Newark and Huntingdon. 

 

 

The engine shed is also based on Newark, a very attractive building. The turntable is from ADM. From this lower angle the backscene buildings look fine. 

 

 

The goods yard is tucked into a corner; the shed is a model of Cowbit. 

 

 

We wanted to include a fen drain; the bridge carrying the narrow gauge is a good way of disguising the far end. Mr Luce the corn merchant is an ancestor of my customer; we used a lot of family names in the town area. It is very suitable because the building can be lifted off if a narrow gauge trains gets stuck behind it!

 

 

The layout is built into the room, it is not designed to be exhibited.

 

The lack of stock is simply down to the fact that I've been using paint, glue and so on.....I'll be going back in a couple of weeks to install the last two signals and I'll take pictures then looking a bit busier.

 

Peter

Edited May 22, 2018 by kirtleypete

[Northroader]

Really beautiful job, lot of hard work gone into that, and really complete look to it.

[kirtleypete]

I should have said that the layout measures 12' x 9' 6". It's surprising how much you can fit in!

Peter

Edited May 22, 2018 by kirtleypete

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Lots of recognizable GN structures, well done, that area was so wind swept.

 

manna

[danstercivicman]

Very nice

[JeffP]

Lovely. Looking forward to more pics with stock.

My home county, albeit the far north of said county, now hived off into a unitary authority.

 

As an aside, I volunteered as a lad at 16 after my "O" levels on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway, which ran from Anthony's Bank terminus down to the Fitties holiday camp, and used some of the stock from one of the potato railways at Nocton.

Most of it, including their Peckett steam loco, is still in use, albeit at Skegness water park now.