Greenford in 00 Gauge: Circa 2010-2017 (FGW, Chiltern, LU, Virgin + Plenty of Freight)

[WCML100]

In addition to the above, we are still trying to determine what the outcome of the eastern end of the layout regarding the disused sidings area of the layout. I have included the highlighted area below and then photos of inspiration from the either the real location or some nearby on the same line. all will be considered for use on the layout in this space.

 

 

Potentials Ideas:

 

- Park Royal style aggregate railhead, simple yet provides added operational interest. based on the old Guinness Sidings now used as an aggregate railhead in Park Royal, a mile or 2 east of the location we are modelling.

 

 

 

- Overgrown sidings, as per the real location, however will provide least operating interest and be fixed out of use. (images taken from some cab view videos)

 

 

 

or the last option would be a mix of the overgrown sidings but leading up to a closed off / fenced off warehouse. This is inspired as a lot of warehouses were served along this line by rail, most cut off during the 80's & 90's so would potentially add interest in modelling this. 

 

Any thoughts on this conundrum would be greatly appreciated 😃

 

thanks

 

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by WCML100

[Csalem]

I would go with Option 1 as it would provide opportunity for some shunting, etc on the layout.

[Siggie in the east]

How about an option 3 - a mix of both disused sidings and operational sidings.

I used to live in Princes Risborough as a kid and travelled through this area quite a few times on Ghost trains with my dad.

I live in Essex now working at Colchester PSB and we operate trains in/out of Lowestoft and Yarmouth. Both areas have sidings dating back to the 60s with some of them still in use after some vegetation clearing and maintenance to bring up to spec (yarmouth carriage sidings) and in Lowestofts case, had a new sidings and run round laid between/adjacent to the old ones. Ive added a pic of when the area was remodeled and re-signalled for inspiration.

This way you can keep the layout prototypical to the area with "modellers licence" used to liven up the operational potential of shunting of wagons/carriages etc.

Hope this helps, I was a modeller once upon a time that did prototypical areas so can feel your pain when planning/starting a layout 😁.

 

Cheers

[WCML100]

7 minutes ago, Siggie in the east said:

How about an option 3 - a mix of both disused sidings and operational sidings.

I used to live in Princes Risborough as a kid and travelled through this area quite a few times on Ghost trains with my dad.

I live in Essex now working at Colchester PSB and we operate trains in/out of Lowestoft and Yarmouth. Both areas have sidings dating back to the 60s with some of them still in use after some vegetation clearing and maintenance to bring up to spec (yarmouth carriage sidings) and in Lowestofts case, had a new sidings and run round laid between/adjacent to the old ones. Ive added a pic of when the area was remodeled and re-signalled for inspiration.

This way you can keep the layout prototypical to the area with "modellers licence" used to liven up the operational potential of shunting of wagons/carriages etc.

Hope this helps, I was a modeller once upon a time that did prototypical areas so can feel your pain when planning/starting a layout 😁.

 

Cheers

 

Thanks, that is an interesting scene for sure.

 

We are hoping to make a final decision in the next week or 2 as final baseboard construction comes to a close.

 

[WCML100]

Ok some actual layout progress to report!

 

So… we had a great day out at GETS this weekend, a few purchases for the layout were made, caught up with some familiar faces and some great conversations with some of the manufacturers attending. We also had a bit of time over the weekend to start some of the baseboard adjustments we wanted to make. 
 

We wanted to make the upper ‘levels’ more accessible so have cut large ‘cut-out’ sections to make the wiring stage and general maintenance of the area much easier going forward. Excuse the shoddy workmanship but as this wont be seen we didnt worry about a ‘neat’ appearance for this bit! We plan to add similar ‘cut-out’ sections on the other remaining boards.

 

Not the biggest update but better than nothing, hopefully the next update will show some real progress and allow for cork / track laying to commence!

 

 

 

 

 

[JackB95]

Just came across this thread - following with great interest! Managed to tick off the Greenford branch earlier this year and picked up on the interesting track layout.

 

Keep up the excellent progress!

[37114]

When they get let off with a small fine then I am sure Adrian and Christian have a message for Toto....

[EWS60065]

On 13/08/2022 at 08:58, WCML100 said:

One of the biggest rakes which will run on our layout is the monster hopper HKA's! Originally built for National Power for coal use, the majority were stored out of use for a time in favour of the newer EWS ordered HTA's, but DBS found work for them on aggregate flows during our time period and were usually seen running out of Acton Yard in mixed condition of repainted DB red or patchy ex NP blue and grey. This always made for an interesting rake and enough to bite (the very expensive) bullet for one. The shortest formation I can find is 15 wagons long! I like to try and replicate the real world as accurately as possible so the rake will eventually become 15 in length. As it stands, it is at 12! x3 more NP liveried ones to go! 

 

I wanted to get them out for size testing, as gauge of what a full(ish) length would look like. It's fairly impressive to see them all together and will take up the almost all of the scenic section when complete with a loco and the full 15 wagons. The last image below gives a good idea of the size in comparison to the scenic length of the layout.

 

Other large freight rakes we have building up is an 18 rake of shorter stone hoppers (made up of a mix of HOA's, IIA's, JGA's), a couple of spoil trains which runs to and from Calvert made up of a variety of box wagons, a 15 wagon long Freightliner Intermodal set, 14 wagon long Yeoman JHA's rake and a mighty 36 long PCA cement tanker rake! All which I hope will look great in prototypical lengths on our layout!

 

 

 

 

Looking good, interested to see the progression of this. Will you be running any 2 axle spoil wagons into there (I have a bit of a thing for them) ? 

[WCML100]

4 hours ago, EWS60065 said:

Looking good, interested to see the progression of this. Will you be running any 2 axle spoil wagons into there (I have a bit of a thing for them) ? 

Hi EWS60065, 

 

Thanks for your reply - yes we will be having a few. Mainly on runs to and from Calvert and various London terminals. Some operated by DB, some GBRF and some by DCR.
 

The DB rake should feature MBA megaboxes within a mix of CAIB KEA’s and JXA’s. The GBRF and DCR rakes will be made up of CAIB / Llynch ex RailTrack JNA’s. All on spoil duties to and from the capital via Greenford. All the bread and butter for the location, and probably the most regular freight traffic along with the Binliners to and from Calvert, Northolt, Brentford and beyond…

[EWS60065]

Fancy building some of these? They'd be perfect 

[Mark Saunders]

39 minutes ago, EWS60065 said:

Fancy building some of these? They'd be perfect 

 
A good selection of the ones in Gypsum in this collection from Paul Bartlett.

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/?q=Jra

[simon b]

On 26/09/2022 at 11:45, WCML100 said:

In addition to the above, we are still trying to determine what the outcome of the eastern end of the layout regarding the disused sidings area of the layout. I have included the highlighted area below and then photos of inspiration from the either the real location or some nearby on the same line. all will be considered for use on the layout in this space.

 

 

Potentials Ideas:

 

- Park Royal style aggregate railhead, simple yet provides added operational interest. based on the old Guinness Sidings now used as an aggregate railhead in Park Royal, a mile or 2 east of the location we are modelling.

 

 

 

- Overgrown sidings, as per the real location, however will provide least operating interest and be fixed out of use. (images taken from some cab view videos)

 

 

 

or the last option would be a mix of the overgrown sidings but leading up to a closed off / fenced off warehouse. This is inspired as a lot of warehouses were served along this line by rail, most cut off during the 80's & 90's so would potentially add interest in modelling this. 

 

Any thoughts on this conundrum would be greatly appreciated 😃

 

thanks

 

 

Back in the late 80's/ early 90's the up platform line was in use as a siding for a cement facility, so you could use rule 1 and say it is still there.  The far end of sidings in the up direction was also used by the engineers dept for a time also.

[WCML100]

45 minutes ago, EWS60065 said:

Fancy building some of these? They'd be perfect 

potentially in the future… will concentrate on the two other rakes first and once the layout and these rakes take shape, im sure we will look to add other types like these in a further rake too 😃

 

any other suggestions are welcome 😃

[WCML100]

19 hours ago, simon b said:

Back in the late 80's/ early 90's the up platform line was in use as a siding for a cement facility, so you could use rule 1 and say it is still there.  The far end of sidings in the up direction was also used by the engineers dept for a time also.

 

That is very interesting to know, I was unaware of this. So thanks for highlighting this 😀

[simon b]

6 hours ago, WCML100 said:

 

That is very interesting to know, I was unaware of this. So thanks for highlighting this 😀

 

Here's a link to a pic on flickr that shows how it used to look: https://www.flickr.com/photos/60539035@N02/31305316474

 

There is also a DVD called "Chiltern take two" that shows it quite clearly. Trains would cross onto the up platform line from the eastern end, run through the platform into a runaround loop at the far end.

 

The area around Greenford and Park Royal is a fascinating one, the amount of lines and sidings that used to be there is mind boggling. Trains were still running into the Guinness brewery until 1994, and at one time there was even a freightliner terminal down there. 

[WCML100]

These beauties turned up today from Accurascale! The newly released MHA’s in EWS livery. I must say they are stunning, and simply cannot be beaten on price vs quality! 
 

These will be joined by 2 further packs (which are also on pre order so should arrive fairly soon!) to make a total of 9 which will be mixed in to my spoil rake for the layout. The rake will also included Hornby MHA’s with the other body type, as well Bachmann MTA’s and MFA’s for good measure. The full length rake will come to 26 wagons! This is based on a prototype which ran through nearby Kensington Olympia around 2015. I have attached a video link below of this (fast forward to 4:55…)!

 

Hats off to Accurascale for such great customer service and a great model at a great price! Not something we say very often these days! 
 

There will be some updates regarding the layout itself as well in the coming days, so will be posting about that soon! For now enjoy some pics of the MHA’s! 😃 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

& the link to the referenced youtube clip for the prototype we are basing our rake off:

 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by WCML100

[WCML100]

So, some much needed progress has been made this weekend on the layout!

 

First up we have finished the the final board structurally speaking. Leaving this and the middle boards just needing the ‘access points’ cut out for maintenance etc like we have done previously for the station board.
 

 

 

Next; we have made a start on the track laying! Well I say start, the cork laying in preparation for track laying. The ‘base’ layer for the mid level national rail section on the station board has been laid - this is 2mm thick. We have also cut the individual cork strips (another 2mm thick) which will be added soon in preparation for the the tracks themselves. Speaking of the station board, we have also cut out the gap for the road between the different levels which will give a clear difference between the two bridges over the road. 


 

 

 

On the upper station level, with the complexity of the platforms, the (slight) height difference of the LT lines in comparison to the national rail bay platform. To combat this, we have omitted the ‘base’ layer on this section, and instead just used the standard 2mm cork on the board for the bay platform, and 3mm thick cork for the two LT lines with the platform height being directly from the board itself. 
 

After testing this out, we decided that the 1mm difference achieved the desired effect. We have referenced this by visiting the prototype location as well as videos and images found online to work out something that looks right. It seems that the class 165 had a small ‘step up’ from the platform, with their footboards being above the platform level, and the underground stock being ever so slightly above the platform height (albeit a fair bit less than the national rail platform but with the track bed being a fair bit higher). This has all been fixed down and is ready for track laying. 

 

 

 

In the coming days I will fix down the ‘strips’ of cork on to the ‘base’ on the mid level section of the station board, as well as start to lay the track down on the station board, first the upper station level and then the mid level. 
 

Once the middle and far left hand board have had their ‘access points’ cut out, and cork laid - We will look to add some legs to the boards in preparation for the wiring and final track installation. 
 

This is all our first efforts at building a full prototype layout, so bar some silly mistakes here and there, as well as some shoddy workmanship in places - we are fairly happy with how the layout is progressing and hope the wiring stage doesnt confuse us too much 😃

 

Thanks for checking in and hopefully we will have some further updates soon! 
 

[WCML100]

Next up, we have received this treat from Absolute Aspects.
 

 

It is a custom built Multi LED signal based on the prototype: GE 29.
 

One of the main reasons we decided on modelling Greenford was the interesting  layout of the prototype along with its unique semaphore signals. GE 29 used to be a semaphore signal, but was converted around 2015 to multi aspect LED, although keeping its original post and ladder.
 

This particular signal is the starter out of the bay platform and this replica was created based on images on the real signal itself that we took from the location. A few small modifications will need to be made to get it just right, these include painting the neck of the head black as well as the back of the signal head and we will need to make the light circumference slightly larger to emulate the more modern LED style. We may then add a clear plastic with a dotted style of film to further add the LED feel. A few very small details such as loose wires around the head and a small electrical box at the foot of the post will also be modelled once in situ. 
 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully we will have this installed on the layout soon after track laying and wiring is complete! 😃

 

Edited November 2, 2022 by WCML100

[WCML100]

19 hours ago, WCML100 said:

Next up, we have received this treat from Absolute Aspects.
 

 

It is a custom built Multi LED signal based on the prototype: GE 29.
 

One of the main reasons we decided on modelling Greenford was the interesting  layout of the prototype along with its unique semaphore signals. GE 29 used to be a semaphore signal, but was converted around 2015 to multi aspect LED, although keeping its original post and ladder.
 

This particular signal is the starter out of the bay platform and this replica was created based on images on the real signal itself that we took from the location. A few small modifications will need to be made to get it just right, these include painting the neck of the head black as well as the back of the signal head and we will need to make the light circumference slightly larger to emulate the more modern LED style. We may then add a clear plastic with a dotted style of film to further add the LED feel. A few very small details such as loose wires around the head and a small electrical box at the foot of the post will also be modelled once in situ. 
 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully we will have this installed on the layout soon after track laying and wiring is complete! 😃

 

 

 

For those that are interested, here is a picture of the full size prototype for comparison 😃

 

The Large electrical box, cameras, safety rail, speed restriction sign, yellow incline sign (& all the rubbish) will be featured on the layout too!

 

 

[Torbay Express]

On 28/10/2022 at 21:52, WCML100 said:

These beauties turned up today from Accurascale! The newly released MHA’s in EWS livery. I must say they are stunning, and simply cannot be beaten on price vs quality! 
 

These will be joined by 2 further packs (which are also on pre order so should arrive fairly soon!) to make a total of 9 which will be mixed in to my spoil rake for the layout. The rake will also included Hornby MHA’s with the other body type, as well Bachmann MTA’s and MFA’s for good measure. The full length rake will come to 26 wagons! This is based on a prototype which ran through nearby Kensington Olympia around 2015. I have attached a video link below of this (fast forward to 4:55…)!

 

Hats off to Accurascale for such great customer service and a great model at a great price! Not something we say very often these days! 
 

There will be some updates regarding the layout itself as well in the coming days, so will be posting about that soon! For now enjoy some pics of the MHA’s! 😃 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

& the link to the referenced youtube clip for the prototype we are basing our rake off:

 

 

 

Looks really interesting.  After watching the above clip, I take it that you could really use some Dapol 59s, if they turn up with the correct details per version. 

[WCML100]

3 hours ago, Torbay Express said:

Looks really interesting.  After watching the above clip, I take it that you could really use some Dapol 59s, if they turn up with the correct details per version. 

 

Thanks, Yes although its not Greenford, it is only down the road (rails)...

 

We have a DB 59 on order, and hope to add an aggregate industries 59 if that Dapol produce that livery in the future too.

[WCML100]

A sign of things to come… A FGW class 165 pauses between journeys after arriving in the bay platform at Greenford on a terminating service from Paddington. It will soon leave to return back down the Greenford branch as it continues to shuttle back and forth all day. 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by WCML100

[WCML100]

So last weekend we got to work on the next few jobs…

 

As mentioned on the last update, the next (top) layer of cork on the mid level section of the station board has been laid. This will help give the nice ballast shoulder.

 

First I lined up, measured and marked out where the cork needed to be laid. I used track spacers to get a realistic spacing between each running line and once happy - got to work with the help of a long steel rule!

 

 

 

Once happy, I measured up along different points of the board and marked out the edge for each running line. By absolute skill and forward thinking (not!) the width of the steel rule happened to be exactly the width of the cork strips.

 

 

After marking it all out, some gorilla glue was put down and in turn I carefully laid the cork strip, ensuring it was as level as possible. 
 

 

 

Once dried, we got the track back out to test all was good!

 

 

 

The next step was to mark out the only cross over on this board. Something to keep in mind we are laying the base of these running lines including the disused sections (see previous posts for track plan highlighting this) - this particular cross over is now cut and no longer in use by our modelled period. Some areas may still have sleeper or track still in place across this board even if not in use anymore - something we are excited to model! Back to the point in question (no pun intended!) we laid them out and marked where we would need the cork to cover. 
 

 

Once marked out, the cork was cut, glued and laid out.

 

 

 

Another post will follow on shortly with a few jobs which have progressed that cannot fit on this post… 😃

 

[WCML100]

Continuing on from the previous post…

 

You may have noticed some glue under the track in some of those images… your eyes did not deceive you we officially have the first piece of laid trackwork, although it is not (and will not be) powered. This is because it is just a small stub of track not in use (see track plan). The track in use here is Peco code 75 bullhead - with all the webbing cut away then glued down. 
 

 

 

This is the remaining part of the down main at this end of the layout still connected to the rest of the in use track-work. In the prototype, there is a buffer stop here with a speed sign for the now bi-directional up main (seen in the foreground) actually positioned within this piece of track-work! Unfortunately the dcc concepts pair of buffers i had which suited the prototype have snapped while trying to put them in to position…

 

 

 

I think removing the webbing makes all the difference too (comparison shown below), hopefully will help when ballasting as well. 

 

 

That is all for now, a few more updates on stock coming soon 😃

 

 

[WCML100]

This week also saw my remaining MHA wagons turned up from Accurascale (via DHL… don’t get me started!) - and as expected they are just as good as the first pack. Still cannot quite get over the amount of sheer detail and quality versus price. Truly staggering really - this along with the incentives when ordering directly from Accurascale (multi but discounts, point for money of future purchases etc…) definitely make me want to purchase a lot more from them in the future!
 

Something I like about these wagons is not all the TOPS codes match, as per the real prototypes. This could have been easily overlooked but Accurascale have picked up on this, which is great to see.

 

Maybe some West Coast MK2b’s next for me from them? Anyways enjoy some photos of the full 9 in the collection which will be ran as part of my now 26 long spoil rake mentioned in my previous post about these wagons! 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2022 by WCML100