Martin's small fill in layout

[MJI]

As my garage based BR layout is stalled (too much junk in garage), I have decided to do a small layout for something different.

 

I have loads of potentials.

 

My wants.
Not typical BR TOPS era.
Something unusual.
Something I can produce small.
Something not tempted to nick my BR blue stuff for.

 

So I produced a list of possible places. Most are 50s 60s BR era so green or black.

I have a small selection of steam and green Diesel to use, mainly WR or MR/LMS (eg Bristol Jubilee)

 

Cornish branches

1 Nancegollan
2 Perranwell around 1960

 

Off teh wall

3 Sandown late 70

 

Localish

4 Knightwick  around 1960
5 Studley late 50s
6 Coughton or Broom Junction late 50s
7 Ripple mid to late 50s

 

I did also consider Ashchurch, butt removed it for multiple reasons.

A) Too big

B) Imagine not closed but branches were, and would be very suitable for a fictional never closed Bristol Birmingham main line station with Peaks and 47s and the like. So a potential remodelling of BR layout.

 

Reasons
1 Cornish ancestry from Lizard. Closed Helston branch.
2 Cornish ancestry from Falmouth. Done branch a lot.
3 Fascinating everything unusual.
4 Tried to walk the line once, not far from home. Station extant.
5 & 6 Other end of a line I found in the early 80s, now work along side the line where now a dual carriageway.
7 Started years ago first finding Tewkesbury station remains when 16, then with the embankment heading west,
the M50 bridge, then the pub, then more digging found the station.

Pros
1 Looks fascinating
2 The signal box
3 05001 model
4 Small and interesting
5 Near work
6 Gone but interesting
7 Pretty and fascinating halfway between home and parents.

 

Cons
1 Not much information around and quite big, Not used by Westerns AFAIK.
2 More a medium layout, would do as a small team.
3 Complex station and lots of 3rd rail
4 Basic
5 Long, more a big layout, a club style layout.
6 Not much information
7 Very complex brickwork

 

Stock
1 Some, need to respray a couple of GWR into BR, got NBL 22
2 Some, and another 118 from Lima is easy (B465 is safe)
3 Got the shunter and one wagon
4 Got a spare body shell for GRCW bubble car, got a small prarie.
5 About 5 carriages and 2 locos
6 About 5 carriages and 2 locos
7 Very little but little needed

 

Need
1 B Set some GWR non corridor stock maybe a couple of corridors
2 B Set another 118
3 At least 2 EMUs of VEC TIS era
4 GWR Railcars 33 38 and a chassis
5 & 6 A lot more stock  About 6 to 10 BR standards and late LMS.
7 0-4-4T x 2 3F tender Couple Late BT a T, and some wagons.

 

Anyway decided to do second smallest as an experiment in EM.

 

I am going to try to model Ripple, I will take liberties with stock to start with using my new to me 2P 4-4-0 , with a couple of Ratio non corridor coaches which in real life were used on Gloucester Birmingham services, so stock is localish.

 

Track is easy I think 2 straight 4 points.

 

Buildings, I pinched the sales particulars off the internet inclduing station dimensions, but visibility due to trees is more or less none existant. The amount of information was the clincher.

 

I will use it as an EM trial rough size 3 to 4 metres long total including 2 sets of end sidings.