billywhizz Posted December 15, 2022 Share Posted December 15, 2022 Looking good Andi! The point work looks especially exquisite!! looking forward to seeing more progress. Cheers. Bill. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 15, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) Time to put some details of this insane project out there... A major life change led to a major layout change but Ravensclyffe https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/158252-ravensclyffe/#comment-23801 is still in the background and will reappear in due course, as are the smaller layouts (And Dagworth is still here too) Ipswich has been a dream for many years, Dagworth was based on operation at Ipswich but much slimmed down with no freight yard or carriage/loco sidings. The layout is OO gauge as is everything I do. It is set in the period of 1985 to 1987 when London-Norwich trains changed locos at Ipswich. The scenic part of the layout is fifteen boards, each one being four foot square giving a total scenic layout of sixty foot long and four foot wide. This dimension fits the real thing pretty much perfectly, the only real change being to straighten the formation slightly around the area of Goods Junction to keep the whole model within a straight four foot wide footprint. I'm modelling from the tunnel mouth to London Road bridge giving two ideal scenic breaks. Fiddle yards are twelve inches below the scenic boards, six four roads each side and accessed via an eight foot diameter helix at each end of the scenic section. Each helix is three circuits, climbing or dropping four inches per loop. The London end helix (known as Helifax - there is a Halifax Junction at the London side of the tunnel) is double track, the Norwich end is known as Helixstowe and is triple track to accomodate the Lowestoft/Felixstowe line as well as the main line to Stowmarket. I had Google Earth printed out to scale by a local company and glued that to the boards and have built directly on top of it, this can be seen in some of the photos. I have had to tweak a couple of points a couple of inches to make sure that point blades are not crossing baseboard joints, other than that the track plan is exactly to scale as it was in '85 when it was relaid for electrification. All points in the scenic area are hand built, some in code 75 bullhead, some in code 100 flat bottom rail, and some in code 83 FB. I prefer the look of code 100 on mainlines, but used code 83 in parts where lighter section flat bottom existed on the real thing, it mixes nicely with the bullhead. All of the flat bottom streamline has had its sleepers respaced which makes a massive difference to its appearance. There is no backscene on the scenic part, the layout being viewable from both sides. The biggest difficulty I had in the planning was working out what to do with the line to Lower Yard, that remains a secret at the moment but the solution I have come up with is, I believe, a first for an exhibition layout... Many more photos have been taken than are in the thread so far as it was until now just posted as a teaser of what I was up to. Andi Edited March 4, 2023 by Dagworth design change in the fiddle yard 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billywhizz Posted December 15, 2022 Share Posted December 15, 2022 Blimey Andi, didn’t realise the project was that big! But then having seen Dagworth and Ravensclyffe, I know you don’t do things by half measures!! Cheers. Bill. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM47079 Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 Are you just doing the bit down to the gates from the top yard and finishing at the crossing? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 16, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 16, 2022 1 hour ago, PM47079 said: Are you just doing the bit down to the gates from the top yard and finishing at the crossing? Sort of… but a bit more sneaky than that. Trains need to be able to run down there and back and will be able to. I bought the nitrogen tanks specifically for it. Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 16, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 16, 2022 On 15/12/2022 at 19:55, billywhizz said: The point work looks especially exquisite!! Thanks Bill, that means a lot Andi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM47079 Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 11 hours ago, Dagworth said: Sort of… but a bit more sneaky than that. Trains need to be able to run down there and back and will be able to. I bought the nitrogen tanks specifically for it. Andi I look forward to your progress with this. The place has changed so much now 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 17, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 1 minute ago, PM47079 said: I look forward to your progress with this. The place has changed so much now I know, even the Google Earth print I’m using (data from 2006) is vastly different in places to what it was in 1985, and seeing the current state of what was top yard, with the branch now a road, is incredible to me. You can see in some of the photos that I’ve had to work out where track was previously, the last photo shows some pen lines as none of the sidings by the London Road bridge survived. Fortunately Flickr has proved a goldmine for older photos and there has been very little I couldn’t find photos of, the only bit that’s been guesswork were the two double slips at the up end of top yard where I’ve had to work from old maps but it isn’t far off I don’t think. Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 17, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 One of the things I can find no photos of at all is the section of pot sleepers in the yard, I know it was there and which road it was on but not exactly where and the satellite views are not high enough resolution to be absolutely certain. I worked at Ipswich as a second man from 1985 to 1988 and can remember very clearly walking along the siding with the pot sleepers as I’d never seen them until then. My best guess is that the section that is a slightly different colour is the bit so that’s where I’m modelling them, if it’s wrong I hope someone can provide the definitive answer to where it was. Anyway, here’s my representation of pot sleepers, the concrete pads are cut from Wills rendering sheets, the chairs and rail are from C&L. The metal tie bars are plasticard strips stood vertically, they look thinner than in the photo. I’m waiting for a delivery of more chairs to finish this bit! The track next to the pot sleepers has wet glue! Andi 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Don't know whether it's of any use, but I took this rather abysmal quality Pocket Instamatic photo from near London Rd Bridge in 1978. It's one of very few I've ever bothered taking in that area, though it does (just about...) show the track layout including the sidings by the old Ipswich CoOp warehouse...... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 17, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 The station and loco/carriage sidings with some trains placed. This is 12 feet of the 60 foot total length. Platform 2 comes out as more than 16’ long This area is fully wired, the rest not yet, wiring a layout this size is quite a task but I like doing layout electrics. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 17, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 1 minute ago, Johann Marsbar said: Don't know whether it's of any use, but I took this rather abysmal quality Pocket Instamatic photo from near London Rd Bridge in 1978. It's one of very few I've ever bothered taking in that area, though it does (just about...) show the track layout including the sidings by the old Ipswich CoOp warehouse...... Thanks Johann, I didn’t know what that building was! Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM47079 Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 When they were digging out for the maintenance shed on the ground near where the weighbridge was they found the foundations of the old goods shed. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 11 minutes ago, Dagworth said: Thanks Johann, I didn’t know what that building was! Andi It opened - as a 2 story building - in 1934 - and there is a photo of it in its original state (taken from the rail side) in a book called "People & Places - a Pictorial History" published by Ipswich & Norwich CoOp in 2000. It later had an extra story added and the rail loading/unloading platforms were fully enclosed once rail deliveries ceased. It remained in use as a CoOp grocery warehouse until 1984. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted December 17, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 1 hour ago, Dagworth said: One of the things I can find no photos of at all is the section of pot sleepers in the yard, I know it was there and which road it was on but not exactly where and the satellite views are not high enough resolution to be absolutely certain. I worked at Ipswich as a second man from 1985 to 1988 and can remember very clearly walking along the siding with the pot sleepers as I’d never seen them until then. My best guess is that the section that is a slightly different colour is the bit so that’s where I’m modelling them, if it’s wrong I hope someone can provide the definitive answer to where it was. Anyway, here’s my representation of pot sleepers, the concrete pads are cut from Wills rendering sheets, the chairs and rail are from C&L. The metal tie bars are plasticard strips stood vertically, they look thinner than in the photo. I’m waiting for a delivery of more chairs to finish this bit! The track next to the pot sleepers has wet glue! Andi Are you sure you've enough pva Andi?!! Mike. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 17, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 2 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said: Are you sure you've enough pva Andi?!! Mike. Next year I predict a Great British Ballast Shortage. 😄 Andi 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted December 17, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 1 minute ago, Dagworth said: Next year I predict a Great British Ballast Shortage. 😄 Andi l I'll buy my shares now! Mike. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 17, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 1 hour ago, PM47079 said: When they were digging out for the maintenance shed on the ground near where the weighbridge was they found the foundations of the old goods shed. It was the area of the old goods shed that I had to try to work out from maps as there are very few photos of the track in that area before it was removed. The two double slips and the crossover in that area all disappeared sometime between my model and the 90s Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive martin Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 This is going to be awsome,are you going to include the ramp down the lower yard ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted December 17, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 17, 2022 4 hours ago, Dagworth said: The station and loco/carriage sidings with some trains placed. This is 12 feet of the 60 foot total length. Platform 2 comes out as more than 16’ long This area is fully wired, the rest not yet, wiring a layout this size is quite a task but I like doing layout electrics. 🤔 Isn't DCC only two wires ? 🤫 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted December 17, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2022 1 hour ago, Clive martin said: This is going to be awsome,are you going to include the ramp down the lower yard ? yes, but operation is going to be "interesting" :) Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM47079 Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 6 hours ago, Dagworth said: It was the area of the old goods shed that I had to try to work out from maps as there are very few photos of the track in that area before it was removed. The two double slips and the crossover in that area all disappeared sometime between my model and the 90s Andi I can't remember when that happened, but possibly when London Road depot closed and the bridges end box was removed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive martin Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 Sorry to ask you more questions is the layout going to be a roundy roundy and do you intend to do loco change overs in the station ,i guess as its your layout you dont have to and you could run the class 86 and intercity sets through i seem to remember an evening servie to stowmarket formed of class 309 units that came back to Ipswich ecs and stabled in the yard this was before through electric services to Norwich , your photos of the station trackwok with all those locos on the stabling point looks fantastic it already looks like Ipswich! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 It was three sets of 309's that worked the first electric passenger train from Ipswich on 17th April 1985..... Was able to escape to the station from work to see it as my Boss had got an invite to travel on it...... 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM47079 Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 Bridges end of the yard view 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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