Medway East - 1990s Kent coast mainline in EM

[david51]

Hi

great layout . Glad to see it is still around. 
Regarding the possible renaming of the layout ,there was and still is plenty of industry along the Sheerness branch(though little goes by rail now)

There were freight only branches to Ridham dock on the south bank of the Swale, or the old spur to Rushenden from Queenborough . Either of those could have become passenger lines and would have the industry you want. Or what about a revival of the old branch to Queenborough Pier part of which still exists but sees little if any use now. 

[Mike Storey]

On Luton, it is no longer a village but part of Chatham, and Luton Arches (where I used to live in the 1970's) is nowhere near Luton, just at one end of the long Luton Road!

 

On using any name from the Isle of Sheppey, that does not appear to be what the OP wants.

 

It is a great layout, and I am sure the changes you are making will make it even better.

[Timara]

9 hours ago, david51 said:

Hi

great layout . Glad to see it is still around. 
Regarding the possible renaming of the layout ,there was and still is plenty of industry along the Sheerness branch(though little goes by rail now) 

 

I'm definitely sticking with the Kent coast mainline as the new location, with a hefty nod towards Gillingham.  There's far more scope for stock and modelling, plus the all-important operational side.  The intention is to have as busy a sequence as the one Malcolm ran on the original layout; I have that myself, so it'll be interesting to compare the two once it's all up and running as a continuous run layout.

 

3 hours ago, Mike Storey said:

On Luton, it is no longer a village but part of Chatham, and Luton Arches (where I used to live in the 1970's) is nowhere near Luton, just at one end of the long Luton Road!

 

Thanks Mike!  Wasn't sure how close the arches were to the village itself, but it was only a (very silly!) thought on my part, given the proximity of the (rather larger) town in Bedfordshire to where I currently live....!  Seeing some other name suggestions has given me a few ideas, but I do rather like the one you came up with too.

 

3 hours ago, Mike Storey said:

It is a great layout, and I am sure the changes you are making will make it even better.

 

Since first seeing it 20 years ago, it's always been one I admired, especially being EM.  I didn't expect that one day I'd be the custodian of it!  Seeing a sea of NSE and post-privatisation freight liveries on it is bringing back so many fond memories of my late teenage years, it has to be said...

 

I'll be popping up some freight-related developments anon.

Edited August 10, 2022 by Tim

[bbishop]

Tim, are you tempted by Brompton?  The original name of Gillingham (Kent) station.  Bill

[Timara]

1 hour ago, bbishop said:

Tim, are you tempted by Brompton?  The original name of Gillingham (Kent) station.  Bill

 

I didn't know it had a previous name!  Thanks for that.  Oh so tempted by "New Brompton"....

 

Choices, choices.....

[Mike Storey]

16 hours ago, Tim said:

 

I didn't know it had a previous name!  Thanks for that.  Oh so tempted by "New Brompton"....

 

Choices, choices.....

 

New Brompton is exactly right, for that was the original name of Gillingham station (not just Brompton)!

 

Good name, but is not very recognisable to anyone unfamiliar with Kent geography. Maybe New Brompton, Kent (or Medway) or something like that?

[eastwestdivide]

Name it Priestfield after the football ground?

Anything ending in -den sounds pretty Kentish. 

Twydall or Bobbing for comedy value?

[Timara]

5 hours ago, Mike Storey said:

Good name, but is not very recognisable to anyone unfamiliar with Kent geography. Maybe New Brompton, Kent (or Medway) or something like that?

 

It's a tricky one, as you say.  Thing is, given it was the old name for the station, but not for at least the past 100 years, it does work, rather.  Brompton East is another thought, though I still like your original one of Medway East....

 

 

4 hours ago, eastwestdivide said:

Name it Priestfield after the football ground?

Anything ending in -den sounds pretty Kentish. 

Twydall or Bobbing for comedy value?

 

Hadn't thought of those!  That said, I'm very much not a football fan, so I'd probably not go for Priestfield.....

 

One thing is for certain, I won't be using any of the hilarious, but dreadfully smutty names @James Makin came up with (privately) 😂.  I'd never be able to take it to a show...!!

[Sophia NSE]

I'm a Maidstone United fan, so any layout named Priestfield would thoroughly disgust me! 😂😂

[david51]

Near the dockyard is St Mary’s Island so what about Medway St Mary’s or Brompton St Mary’s .

[Timara]

On 14/08/2022 at 15:56, Sophia NSE said:

I'm a Maidstone United fan, so any layout named Priestfield would thoroughly disgust me! 😂😂

 

Don't worry, such a thing won't happen!  I'm not a football person as it is..... 💁🏽‍♀️

[Mark Pelham]

Hi Tim,

 

Great to see the layout's still around, many fond memories operating the layout over the years with Malcolm while I was a member of Crawley MRS - as you say it had a very interesting sequence that I never tierd of operating.

 

I look forward to seeing how the layout develops under new ownership.

 

All the best,

 

Mark

[Timara]

5 hours ago, Mark Pelham said:

Hi Tim,

 

Great to see the layout's still around, many fond memories operating the layout over the years with Malcolm while I was a member of Crawley MRS - as you say it had a very interesting sequence that I never tierd of operating.

 

I look forward to seeing how the layout develops under new ownership.

 

All the best,

 

Mark

 

Thanks Mark!  There's a chance I probably saw you at a show or few when it was on the road; as it happens, I'm never getting rid of the old sequence cards, as it's part of the history of the layout.  They're going to assist me in devising the new one, to a degree.  It was be different having a continuous run, for sure, but I've decided one or two of the operational "headaches" will stay as they are, because one has to keep operators on their toes....

 

Cheers,

Timara

[Timara]

Way back in my teens, it was always nice to see the VSOE on the odd occasion it was running.  Invariably it would have the ubiquitous RES 47/7 on the front, but occasionally Clan Line.  Back then, it was only really possible to model the 1928 cars in the rake, with the others being rather harder or even downright impossible.  Fast forward a couple of decades....

 

I've been very lucky to acquire the first 6 cars of the train I'd like to model, all of which at highly advantageous prices (roughly £25 each).  The last two I'd like to do are likely to be the hardest, given nobody does a kit and least of all in the condition they're now in; the 1951 U type cars.

 

Anyway, the six I've currently got, from oldest to newest:

 

Minerva; 1927 parlour first.

 

 

 

The three recently produced 1928 Queen of Scots cars; Ione, Lucille and Zena.

 

 

 

 

Finally, the two (at the time) 1932 ex-Brighton Belle kitchen firsts; Gwen (to become Audrey) and Mona (to become Vera).

 

 

 

All six require new bogies and a lot of changes to the underframes, notably truss rods on the 1928 cars as well as battery boxes and other kitchen equipment on the Belle cars; correct pattern buffers and gangways are also required, amongst everything else.  All need ETH and air-braking details too.

 

Having completed three rakes of Pullmans for Gilbert Barnatt of 'Peterborough North' fame, it was only natural I'd eventually want to do one for myself; the bug bit me hard, one might say!

 

There will doubtless be more on these as I manage to find time to work on them, but other things are rather more a priority!

[The Fatadder]

@Tim I have looked previously at modifying a Hornby coach into the 1951 stock, I have done a test build modifying a Hornby roof to match the prototype.  The next step is a new side cut on the silhouette cutter (which would be several layers laminated) together and glued in as a complete new side between the doors. 
 

I’ve done Minerva, Iona, Zena and Lucille so far (the latter being old Hornby / Comet and still want painting.) one day I will finish the set off and do the ex Brighton belle pair as well… 

[Timara]

Thanks Richard!  You know, I had this thought in the back of my mind that we'd once discussed this a very long time ago, but couldn't remember if you'd got any further with it.  Getting hold of a pair of K class Hornby cars isn't hard, so I'll be very interested to see how your one turns out!

 

I wonder, is there any merit in doing just the window section and having it drop into a parlour car donor?  It'd save a full repaint (just the cream to do) and then mean they match the other Hornby cars.  Also, saves the hassle of a complete lining job (really not something I want to do if I can help it!).  I've done a few cars like this, where you'd never even see the join, so it can potentially be done....

[CloggyDog]

25 minutes ago, Tim said:

I wonder, is there any merit in doing just the window section and having it drop into a parlour car donor?  It'd save a full repaint (just the cream to do) and then mean they match the other Hornby cars.  Also, saves the hassle of a complete lining job (really not something I want to do if I can help it!).  I've done a few cars like this, where you'd never even see the join, so it can potentially be done....

 

Certainly doable - I've done Mk2d/e/f window sections on my Silhouette to insert into some ancient Lima H0 Mk2bs. 

 

Are decent drawings available? 

 

 

 

 

[Timara]

43 minutes ago, CloggyDog said:

Are decent drawings available? 

 

Good point....  I'm not sure, to be honest.  I found a GA earlier today on the SEMG site, as a PDF, but not really what one would want to use for a model basis.  The doors would need to be done anew too, as they're quite different.

 

However, there is a guy who's building a 1/32 model of one of these, though I forget whether it's on here or WT....

[CloggyDog]

7 hours ago, Tim said:

 

Good point....  I'm not sure, to be honest.  I found a GA earlier today on the SEMG site, as a PDF, but not really what one would want to use for a model basis.  The doors would need to be done anew too, as they're quite different.

 

However, there is a guy who's building a 1/32 model of one of these, though I forget whether it's on here or WT....

 

I found the 1/32 scratchbuild on the Britmodeller forum: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234972191-scratch-build-of-1951-pullman-carriage/

 

A couple of possibly usable drawings on there. 

[The Fatadder]

I think I am right in saying that HMRS have a decent drawing (in as built condition) although the toilet windows are of course different 

[darren chpamn]

Just found this thread I spent many a few hours operating this layout  when Malcolm owned. I funnily enough have purchased some of the stock that was on it it too 

Glade to see it's still in use I will let Malcolm know it's still being used 

[andyman7]

On 11/08/2022 at 16:24, eastwestdivide said:

Name it Priestfield after the football ground?

Anything ending in -den sounds pretty Kentish. 

Twydall or Bobbing for comedy value?

 

On 11/08/2022 at 21:24, Tim said:

 

It's a tricky one, as you say.  Thing is, given it was the old name for the station, but not for at least the past 100 years, it does work, rather.  Brompton East is another thought, though I still like your original one of Medway East....

 

 

 

Hadn't thought of those!  That said, I'm very much not a football fan, so I'd probably not go for Priestfield.....

 

One thing is for certain, I won't be using any of the hilarious, but dreadfully smutty names @James Makin came up with (privately) 😂.  I'd never be able to take it to a show...!!

Having lived in Sittingbourne through the 1990s there are some fairly good names that with a little artistic license might work. After Bobbing, towards Gillingham the line passes near Keycol and then very close to Hartlip Hill, whilst beyond Rainham towards Gillingham the line passes through Rainham Mark before Twydall.  

Edited September 5, 2022 by andyman7

[NWJ]

There is also Upchurch, Lower Halstow and Otterham Quay to the East of Rainham. Otterham Quay is nothing more than a cottages, a pub (I think it's still there) and a wharf on the River Medway. Upchurch and Lower Halstow are a couple of villages on the coast but, in another world, each could have potentially had a station on the mainline (albeit some way from Lower Halstow so it would probably have been Lower Halstow Road...). Also, to the South of Watling Street and Upchurch is the small hamlet of Meresborough.

 

Neil

[Timara]

On 05/09/2022 at 22:15, darren chpamn said:

Just found this thread I spent many a few hours operating this layout  when Malcolm owned. I funnily enough have purchased some of the stock that was on it it too 

Glade to see it's still in use I will let Malcolm know it's still being used 

 

Thanks Darren!  Glad to know some more of his stock has found a further use with you as well.  I'll drop Malcolm an email at some point once there's something further to report; might be once I've got the 465 running and indeed the new signs in place.

 

Timara

[Mike Storey]

35 minutes ago, Tim said:

 

Thanks Darren!  Glad to know some more of his stock has found a further use with you as well.  I'll drop Malcolm an email at some point once there's something further to report; might be once I've got the 465 running and indeed the new signs in place.

 

Timara

 

Ah, new signs!! Have you decided now?