Seaton Junction and Seaton to Scale in 1/148

[scottystitch]

Yesterday afternoon, once again I found myself with the early signs of my mind not quite firing on all cylinders, and with clouds appearing over the mental horizon I've learned to take myself away from life; one of the most effective activities being pottering around with track plans.

 

Presented below is an AnyRail rendition of Seaton Junction, placed in a 210" by 114" room ( my railway room), with no compression. The track plan has been overlaid on top of the excel;lent NLS 25 inch map which was adjusted for scale using their online measuring tool. The map online only shows the original twin track arrangement (not quite original, as I understand when first built the line was single track), and so I've tried to figure out as best as I can, using contemporary photographs, how the layout would have looked in the early 60s. If anyone can correct any glaring errors, then constructive feedback is encouraged.

 

Also included, by way of an incline is Seaton itself, above the storage area. Again this is uncompressed, and based on the NLS map, so accuracy could be called into question, but at the very least it looks pretty close.

 

The Nelevator has 20 tracks each capable of holding a 6ft train, or a combination thereof.  I've added a further 4 up and 4 down 6ft storage tracks. The storage/fiddle yard could of course take any form you like.  The one drawn is merely illustrative.

 

I am very unlikely to build this, as I've invested too much time and effort in Scottish Region stock, but it might be of use to someone and I'm happy to send on the ANyRail file to anyone who has the time, space and inclination to give it a go.

 

The important thing is it's good for my health, and it's good to share.

 

Best

Scott

Edited August 23, 2019 by scottystitch

[DCB]

Looks  good. Not sure which bit is the Nelevator.   It would be a good subject for a smaller room if the left hand end was compressed to bring the branch nearer to the wall without the reverse curve.

If I did it I would try to work in a return loop arrangement to turn trains so  could easily run trains clockwise or anticlockwise.

 

 

[Mallard60022]

Matey, if you want some relaxation and some further info about this area, then visit the 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/the-seaton-branch.html

and other parts of their great site. Hours of relaxation and rehab.

P

Edited August 23, 2019 by Mallard60022

[scottystitch]

1 hour ago, DavidCBroad said:

Looks  good. Not sure which bit is the Nelevator.   It would be a good subject for a smaller room if the left hand end was compressed to bring the branch nearer to the wall without the reverse curve.

If I did it I would try to work in a return loop arrangement to turn trains so  could easily run trains clockwise or anticlockwise.

 

 

Thank you for your reply!

 

The Nelevator is the isolated twin tracks just below the word. As I say the storage yard area is just illustrative.

 

Re return loops, thanks I hadn't thought of that. Something like this? The right hand set of staging is 3 inches above the left set to allow the loops to fit and still have 11/12 coach trains staged. I've removed the Nelevator. As you say this would allow trains to pass and return.

 

EDIT: I've done it that way because I understand the right hand tracks began a rather steep climb towards Sidmouth Honiton? The gradiant on the trackplan is 2%.

Edited August 23, 2019 by scottystitch

[scottystitch]

6 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Matey, if you want some relaxation and some further info about this area, then visit the 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/the-seaton-branch.html

and other parts of their great site. Hours of relaxation and rehab.

P

Thanks Mallard,

 

I must say it was your thread, SOS Junction, that got me wondering if SJ would fit in N, uncompressed. So thanks for the inspiration!

 

I'll take a look at that webpage. Thanks.

 

Best

Scott

[scottystitch]

I've added the Branch to the above drawing and also faded in the SJ maps.

 

 

[Geep7]

One small observation. The trackplan for Seaton itself appears to be based on the layout from the early 1900's. By the 1960's it would have been the rebuilt track layout. Check out the trackplans on this thread: 

 

[scottystitch]

1 minute ago, Geep7 said:

One small observation. The trackplan for Seaton itself appears to be based on the layout from the early 1900's. By the 1960's it would have been the rebuilt track layout. Check out the trackplans on this thread: 

 

Thanks for that. It is indeed from the 1900s, so I really put it in as just is as a place holder, hoping someone might come along and give me some pointers. That link to the other thread is a great help. I'll have a go at the 1959 arrangement and update the plan.

 

Thank you again, that's a great help.

 

Best

Scott

[Nick Holliday]

Whilst the NLS mapping service is a fantastic resource, as you've found, the large scale maps, at least, are generally restricted to around the beginning of the twentieth century. old-maps.co.uk, on the contrary, offers a wide range of scales and dates, up to the 1960s in some areas. Hence this screen shot of Seaton Junction, as of 1959.

[scottystitch]

Thanks @Nick Holliday

 

For some reason I thought the NLS and the old-maps sed the same maps.

 

Another big help. That said, it doesn't look like I'm too far away using the 1900s plan and photos.

 

I'll take a closer look later though.

 

Thanks again

 

Best

 

Scott

[D9020 Nimbus]

Cyril Freezer used the rebuilt Seaton quite often in his plans. The only problem with doing it in N is that the key motive power (M7, possibly Ivatt 2MT tank) doesn't run too well. (The Minitrix Ivatt runs OK, but doesn't look like its prototype.) The 64xx 0-6-0PT appeared at least once, but is hardly typical — I don't know whether the standard 3MTs appeared or not.