Wall Heath - 00 gauge - Black country - 80s & 90s

[Jamesb]

Afternoon everyone,

 

I thought I'd begin a thread for my ongoing layout build, Wall Heath. For those not familiar with the area, Wall Heath is on the fringe of the Black country, north west of Brierley Hill and Kingswinford Junction. To my knowledge (prepared to be corrected!), the real Wall Heath was never graced with a railway, although the GWR did get close with the Wombourne branch and a station at Himley. My interpretation of Wall Heath is that the industrialised areas of Brierley Hill and Pensnett have spread to the north west and Wall Heath has got in on the act via the GWR. The time period I've chosen is mid 80's to mid 90's which will give me a decent enough range of locos and liveries to keep things interesting. So much for the back story...

 

The layout is a traditional U shaped, end to end (fiddle yard to fiddle yard) design. I wanted the emphasis to be on freight operations so there are no passenger facilities. In keeping with the lines around Brierley Hill, Kingswinford Junction and Round Oak, I've assumed that passenger services ceased in the 60s. The layout measures 11ft x 9ft 9inches x 9ft. 

 

Control is DCC (my first foray into this and something I'm still learning) with trackwork being a mix of Peco streamline and electrofrog points in the fiddle yards with C&L bullhead, concrete sleeper flatbottom rail and Peco Bullhead points in the scenic areas.

 

The layout is a work in progress, but I'm now at a stage where I'm happy to share.

 

All comments and advice are as always, more than welcome.

 

Enjoy, James

 

 

Beginnings;

 

Laser cut baseboards from Model railway solutions. Originally purchased for another project which was quickly scrapped. The baseboards remained unopened in the garage for about 5 years and survived a house move before Wall Heath popped into my head.

 

The original plan was as simple 'L' shape but even as I constructed the boards, I knew it wasn't going to satisfy me! Too many compromises at the planning stage made this a non starter for me, but always time for a quick beer to celebrate progress!

 

 

 

 

[Jamesb]

The build continues..

 

 

[Jamesb]

Now, if I can just persuade Mrs B to get rid of those wardrobes..

 

 

[BobM]

26 minutes ago, Jamesb said:

Afternoon everyone,

 

I thought I'd begin a thread for my ongoing layout build, Wall Heath. For those not familiar with the area, Wall Heath is on the fringe of the Black country, north west of Brierley Hill and Kingswinford Junction. To my knowledge (prepared to be corrected!), the real Wall Heath was never graced with a railway, although the GWR did get close with the Wombourne branch and a station at Himley. My interpretation of Wall Heath is that the industrialised areas of Brierley Hill and Pensnett have spread to the north west and Wall Heath has got in on the act via the GWR. The time period I've chosen is mid 80's to mid 90's which will give me a decent enough range of locos and liveries to keep things interesting. So much for the back story...

 

The layout is a traditional U shaped, end to end (fiddle yard to fiddle yard) design. I wanted the emphasis to be on freight operations so there are no passenger facilities. In keeping with the lines around Brierley Hill, Kingswinford Junction and Round Oak, I've assumed that passenger services ceased in the 60s. The layout measures 11ft x 9ft 9inches x 9ft. 

 

Control is DCC (my first foray into this and something I'm still learning) with trackwork being a mix of Peco streamline and electrofrog points in the fiddle yards with C&L bullhead, concrete sleeper flatbottom rail and Peco Bullhead points in the scenic areas.

 

The layout is a work in progress, but I'm now at a stage where I'm happy to share.

 

All comments and advice are as always, more than welcome.

 

Enjoy, James

 

 

Beginnings;

 

Laser cut baseboards from Model railway solutions. Originally purchased for another project which was quickly scrapped. The baseboards remained unopened in the garage for about 5 years and survived a house move before Wall Heath popped into my head.

 

The original plan was as simple 'L' shape but even as I constructed the boards, I knew it wasn't going to satisfy me! Too many compromises at the planning stage made this a non starter for me, but always time for a quick beer to celebrate progress!

 

 

 

 

 

Will watch this with interest, I was born in WallHeath, work at Ashwood, live in Wombourne, so very local...!

Refgards

Bob

[BobM]

Hi

WallHeath did have a railway but was the Earl of Dudley's line delivering coal to the Ashwood Basin on The Staffs and Worcester Canal...the Marina is still there right next to where I work.

Bob

Edited January 25, 2021 by BobM

[Jamesb]

Hi Bob,

 

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware the Earl of Dudley's line went through Wall Heath (is there a space in the name?)

 

I'm hoping for an overall flavour of this part of the world, rather than an accurate replica of anywhere in particular, but hopefully it won't disappoint!

 

Thanks, James.

 

[Jamesb]

The build continues. I wanted to incorporate a drop section in the baseboard (originally to be a canal), but after some thought I decided to go with a disused railway line underneath.  Perhaps a rival company who's fortunes in the area didn't pan out quite as planned under BR?

 

The bridge carries the up and down main as well as the up goods and the connection to a pair of down sidings.

 

Construction is off cuts of 4x2 timber for the main sides, with ply decks. False side walls are from Wills English bond brick sheets with Peco/Wills girders over the top. The cable run in the metal tray is plasticard U shaped channel with tinned copper wire offcuts sprayed black and superglued in place (along with my fingers on several occasions!)

 

James 

[Rivercider]

That looks a promising start. There was a lot of variety loco and wagon wise back then.

Mind you I would have been side tracked by the beer and the books - probably why I have always managed so little actual modelling.

 

I will look forward to progress,

 

cheers

[BobM]

Great Stuff..!

Well...it's always been a conversation piece locally.....on all road signs and maps, yes, Wall Heath has a gap, but locals always write it with no gap and with a capital W and H which says more possibly about the literacy skills than anything else!

 

Th coal was brought down from the local mines, down past Himley Hall and through Wall Heath paralleling with the Mile Flat on a high embankment down to the marina to off load onto the canal....

 

Bob

[Jamesb]

And continuing on....

 

On looking at the bridge again, something didn't look quite right. Then I realised it was the cutting. As I'd originally planned for it to be a canal, it was more of a trench than a cutting. A bit of fettling with the jigsaw has softened the sides a bit and made it look less 'trench like'.

 

While the safety catch was off on the jigsaw, I also fettled another part of the boards to give an embankment and bridge underneath. Cardboard formers are in place waiting for when I get to the scenery stage.

 

James.

[Jamesb]

More....

 

I wanted to try and get the track layout as close to prototypical (within within realms of the constraints of 00 gauge, non finescale modelling). To that end, I wanted trailing crossovers and connections and as few facing points as possible. 

 

Working as a freight driver, I spend almost as much time setting back over trailing connections as I do going forwards and I'll be damned if my 4mm scale counterparts are having it any easier!

 

The junction below gives access to a small yard which contains the Titan Alloys unloading shed and a small coal concentration depot.

 

James

 

The trailing junction and cross over goes in.

 

 

In, wired and glued down. The baseboard is cut away at the front so I can get an embankment and road bridge in.

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Jamesb

[Jamesb]

The Titan alloys building is a much kit bashed Peco manyways diesel depot,  kindly donated by a work mate. The roofing material is from Goodwood scenics and is very thin corrugated metal. The hard standing is from Scale model scenery and has had expansion gaps scribed into the mdf surface before being sprayed grey. 

 

The coal concentration depot consists of a single siding with an under track discharge pit, knocked up from plasticard sheet and strip. A hole was cut into thr baseboard to give depth, before the 'pit' was dropped in. Eventually it will have a hard standing area, conveyor and coal stocks. The coal yard at Gobowen and some distant shots of the set up at Pensnett were the inspiration.  

 

James.

 

The start point of the Titan Alloys building.

 

 

Kit bashing in progress.

 

 

A coat of industrial blue.

 

 

The roof goes on. The management at Titan alloys are a bit miffed that BR have wrong routed the consignment of rolled steel coil...

 

 

The roof and small yard.

 

 

The coal yard (does a single siding qualify as a yard?) A hole for the hopper is cut out below the track.

 

 

The discharge hopper, knocked up from plasticard.

 

 

The finished article, awaiting further scenary.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Jamesb

[Jamesb]

30 minutes ago, BobM said:

Great Stuff..!

Well...it's always been a conversation piece locally.....on all road signs and maps, yes, Wall Heath has a gap, but locals always write it with no gap and with a capital W and H which says more possibly about the literacy skills than anything else!

 

Th coal was brought down from the local mines, down past Himley Hall and through Wall Heath paralleling with the Mile Flat on a high embankment down to the marina to off load onto the canal....

 

Bob

 Thanks for the info Bob. 

 

Cheers, James 

[BobM]

7 hours ago, Jamesb said:

Hi Bob,

 

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware the Earl of Dudley's line went through Wall Heath (is there a space in the name?)

 

I'm hoping for an overall flavour of this part of the world, rather than an accurate replica of anywhere in particular, but hopefully it won't disappoint!

 

Thanks, James.

 

A map of where the line went through Wall Heath....

 

As an aside, notice the name Holbeach Lane?

 

Just there is Holbeach House, in 1605 the Gunpowder plotters (Roger Catesby and all)  were holed up here after the failed attempt to blow parliament up, most  were killed by government troops there, the original building rebuilt, after the gunpowder which the plotters were drying out by an open fire (to use on the advancing Kings soldiers) , was ignited by a stray spark, exploded and blew up the house, not too bright eh? 

Its now a nursing home.

 

Regards 

Bob

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by BobM

[Ben B]

Looking forward to seeing how this develops; as an ex-pat from Gornal, I've always thought the railways of Dudley are quite under-served, given the variety.  Industrial lines with Andrew-Barclay tank locomotives then wasp-striped YEC shunters, NCB Austerities at Baggeridge Junction, the ex-GWR line and the freight branch to Pensnett with 25's, 45's, and 37's.  It's quite sad how late the branch to Pensnett lasted, but has failed to reopen, despite the rails being left in situ (barring where the scrap metal fairies have spirited it away).  I gather some local residents angrily oppose the prospect of re-opening; when I was at school in K'ford, it was the parent of a kid in my class who was leading the opposition, mainly because she liked using the old trackbed to walk her dog... from her comments, you'd think the single-track freight branch would be carrying more traffic than the WCML.  Maybe it'll get the Midland Metro in a couple of decades to serve all the new houses on the old brickworks...

 

It would be quite tempting to imagine the old GWR route from Pensnett to Wolverhampton hadn't been closed, and maybe the old Earl of Dudley lines had been absorbed into BR when the link to Baggeridge was closed, giving Wallheath a connection with the mainline

[Jamesb]

2 hours ago, Ben B said:

Looking forward to seeing how this develops; as an ex-pat from Gornal, I've always thought the railways of Dudley are quite under-served, given the variety.  Industrial lines with Andrew-Barclay tank locomotives then wasp-striped YEC shunters, NCB Austerities at Baggeridge Junction, the ex-GWR line and the freight branch to Pensnett with 25's, 45's, and 37's.  It's quite sad how late the branch to Pensnett lasted, but has failed to reopen, despite the rails being left in situ (barring where the scrap metal fairies have spirited it away).  I gather some local residents angrily oppose the prospect of re-opening; when I was at school in K'ford, it was the parent of a kid in my class who was leading the opposition, mainly because she liked using the old trackbed to walk her dog... from her comments, you'd think the single-track freight branch would be carrying more traffic than the WCML.  Maybe it'll get the Midland Metro in a couple of decades to serve all the new houses on the old brickworks...

 

It would be quite tempting to imagine the old GWR route from Pensnett to Wolverhampton hadn't been closed, and maybe the old Earl of Dudley lines had been absorbed into BR when the link to Baggeridge was closed, giving Wallheath a connection with the mainline

 Thanks for the kind comments Ben. The attitude of the parent you mentioned doesn't surprise me in the slightest! Replicated all over the country, sadly!

 

James

[Jamesb]

Continuing on...

 

There are a number of pictures on Flickr of Kingswinford Junction and the area around the narrow, girder footbridge over the line (I think it runs from near Bull street to the housing estate behind where the box stood?) Facing the box were a couple of very noticeable factories which overlooked the line. I wanted to get this feature into my layout and a corner plot was the ideal location. 

 

The corner section is removable and contains the works and yard of R.A. Burgess (named after my late grandfather). It sits higher than the line and will hopefully overlook and dominate that corner, just like the factories overlooking Kingswinford Jnc box did.

 

James

 

 

 

First, the corner plot and a couple of buildings thrown on to try and gauge things. The coal siding is in the foreground.

 

 

 

 

Cardboard templates of the main buildings were cut out.

 

 

 

Ply formers were cut and the buildings faced with Wills English bond brick and corrugated iron/metal sheeting.

 

 

 

Roofing is from Goodwood scenics and consists of asbesto type sheeting for the smaller workshop/factory and rusty corrugated iron for the main building. A Bachmann scenecraft northlight factory extension forms part of the works.

 

 

 

 

The works yard was given a very thin skim of polyfilla and when dry, expansion joints and cracks were scribed in.

 

 

A small factory extension from Railway laser lines was purchased (why I didn't get into laser cut kits before this, is beyond me!)

 

 

 

Finally, the yard was given a coat of grey and the expansion joints/cracks touched in with darker grey/black. To be honest, its still a bit too light and requires more weathering.

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Jamesb

[Sandhole]

Just now, Jamesb said:

Continuing on...

 

There are a number of pictures on Flickr of Kingswinford Junction and the area around the narrow, girder footbridge over the line (I think it runs from near Bull street to the housing estate behind where the box stood? Facing the box were a couple of very noticeable factories which overlooked the line. I wanted to get this feature into my layout and a corner plot was the ideal location. 

 

The corner section is removable and contains the works and yard of R.A. Burgess (named after my late grandfather). It sits higher than the line and will hopefully overlook and dominate that corner, just like the factories overlooking Kingswinford Jnc box did.

 

First, the corner plot and a couple of buildings thrown on to try and gauge things. The coal siding is in the foreground.

 

Cardboard templates of the main buildings were cut out.

 

Ply formers were cut and the buildings faced with Wills English bond brick and corrugated iron/metal sheeting.

 

Roofing is from Goodwood scenics and consists of asbesto type sheeting for the smaller workshop/factory and rusty corrugated iron for the main building. A Bachmann scenecraft northlight factory extension forms part of the works.

 

The works yard was given a very thin skim of polyfilla and when dry, expansion joints and cracks were scribed in.

 

A small factory extension from Railway laser lines was purchased (why I didn't get into laser cut kits before this, is beyond me!)

 

Finally, the yard was given a coat of grey and the expansion joints/cracks touched in with darker grey/black. To be honest, its still a bit too light and requires more weathering.

 

James

This looking SO DAMN GOOD.
It's going to be cramped and grimy. You have the option, now, of small Rustons and Hibberds, thanks to 3D printing.
That Ford Cargo brings back memories. Drain Brain had Ford Cargos similar to that converted to living and equipment vans for their BIG jetting wagons. I've driven some miles in them.
Regards,
Chris.

[Jamesb]

3 minutes ago, Sandhole said:

This looking SO DAMN GOOD.
It's going to be cramped and grimy. You have the option, now, of small Rustons and Hibberds, thanks to 3D printing.
That Ford Cargo brings back memories. Drain Brain had Ford Cargos similar to that converted to living and equipment vans for their BIG jetting wagons. I've driven some miles in them.
Regards,
Chris.

 

Ah, thanks Chris! Cramped and grimy is exactly what I'm going for. I've got an idea for finishing the corner which will include an overgrown grass embankment running down to the line, topped with a concrete and wire mesh fence. I've not decided what the R.A. Burgess works will make yet, but what ever it is, the yard will be cluttered. Forklifts, metal stillages and no doubt some skiving off in a corner!

 

James

[F-UnitMad]

23 hours ago, Jamesb said:

the real Wall Heath was never graced with a railway

*polite cough* It was, of course, graced for many years with a proper model railway shop.

[BobM]

33 minutes ago, Jamesb said:

 Thanks for the kind comments Ben. The attitude of the parent you mentioned doesn't surprise me in the slightest! Replicated all over the country, sadly!

 

James

 

I often times take a walk along the Kingswinford / Wombourne Railway walk down to Penn Models in Stallings Lane, the woodland now taking over Himley Station, the platforms remaining and wonder just how amazing it would be to have this re-awakened into a rapid transit system Metro extension into Wolverhampton, certainly would cut down on the congested A449 commuter traffic?

 

Bob

[BobM]

9 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

*polite cough* It was, of course, graced for many years with a proper model railway shop.

 

Yes, sadly gone now is Modellers Mecca, once in Albion Parade, established by Roy,  then moving town into Maidensbridge Road under the ownership of Lucy, now an online and exhibition business....the good old days for sure.

 

Penn Models is great for supplies but a non-railway venue.

 

Bob

Edited January 26, 2021 by BobM

[Jamesb]

And continuing with the corner theme..

 

In the opposite corner I wanted a scrap yard. The layout, while named after a real location is really a conglomeration of Black country/West midlands ideas. So, we have Titan Alloys (the named based on Trident alloys at Bloxwich). The scrap yard will have a main building and loading wall based on the Norton Barrow yard at Bilston. The signal box and road bridge behind take their inspiration from Round Oak and also Wednesbury town, while the small steel yard is a hugely contracted take on Moor street at Brierley hill. 

 

The beginning of the loading wall. Knocked up from spare timber and ply, it wasn't until I placed it on the corner plot and gave it a coat of polyfilla, that I realised it was about a scale 17ft high..

 

Still too high..

 

Out with the sander and jigsaw (again) to lop some off the bottom.

 

To give a more acceptable looking height.

 

Faced with trusty Wills English bond brick sheet (I really must stop buying this) and the polyfilla surface painted.

 

I wanted the surface to be dirty and used with rounded, worn edges where falling scrap and working machinery has taken its toll.

 

A grotty hut, knocked up from a pair of ratio kits. The 40 has since been sold.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Jamesb

[Sandhole]

22 minutes ago, Jamesb said:

And continuing with the corner theme..

 

In the opposite corner I wanted a scrap yard. The layout, while named after a real location is really a conglomeration of Black country/West midlands ideas. So, we have Titan Alloys (the named based on Trident alloys at Bloxwich). The scrap yard will have a main building and loading wall based on the Norton Barrow yard at Bilston. The signal box and road bridge behind take their inspiration from Round Oak and also Wednesbury town, while the small steel yard is a hugely contracted take on Moor street at Brierley hill. 

 

The beginning of the loading wall. Knocked up from spare timber and ply, it wasn't until I placed it on the corner plot and gave it a coat of polyfilla, that I realised it was about a scale 17ft high..

 

Still too high..

 

Out with the sander and jigsaw (again) to lop some off the bottom.

 

To give a more acceptable looking height.

 

Faced with trusty Wills English bond brick sheet (I really must stop buying this) and the polyfilla surface painted.

 

I wanted the surface to be dirty and used with rounded, worn edges where falling scrap and working machinery has taken its toll.

 

A grotty hut, knocked up from a pair of ratio kits. The 40 has since been sold.

Jings, 40 doing shunting.
Shades of Warrington Arpley and the Trafford Park container depot and bonded warehouse in the 70s/80s.

 

[Jamesb]

A bit more...

 

So, the eagle eyed among you may have noticed the Hornby signal box lurking in some of the pics. Not quite what I had in mind, so I got hold of something a little better. No link to the manufacturer, just a satisfied customer. As I mentioned earlier, I wish I'd 'got into' laser cut kits earlier. The level of detail is brilliant and being able to put something together with just pva is a real godsend. 

 

While Kingswinford Jnc had a wooden 'box (not sure of the exact GWR type), Round Oak a little further up the line had a brick and wood one (type 27??). I was tempted by the Ratio kit until I came across the Leamington 'box kit.

 

 

 

Partially constructed, 'Wall Heath south signal box' oversees some remedial track works.

 

 

A coat of red oxide car primer spray forms the brick base coat with the mortar courses being from tinted and heavily diluted polyfilla. Rubbed on with a finger and then immediately wiped off with a damp cloth. The brickwork around the locking room windows and lower brick plinth is picked out in engineering blue brick paint.

 

 

Interior. Partially from a Lcut kit off eBay and partially scratchbuilt (the sink, water geyser, cooker and fridge are just off cuts of plasticard). The doormat is a bit of red card with a (badly) drawn pattern in pencil 

 

The notices on the rear wall are off cuts of paper, doodled on as and where appropriate to give an impression of writing.

Edited February 7, 2021 by Jamesb