Dreams of Summerseat - preserved railway somewhat based on the ELR

[MattR]

I’d been toying with the idea of another, larger railway layout for a while. After finally unlocking the mystery of my English great-great-great grandfather William Clarke, I decided to base my layout on the village of Summerseat in Lancashire. In the late 1830s and early 1840s, William’s mother, Nancy Chambers, lived with her sisters and parents in the village of Brooksbottoms, now a part of Summerseat, working at the Brooksbottoms mill when it was owned by the Kays before it was rebuilt in the 1870s by Joshua Hoyle. However, the Chambers family moved to nearby Bolton by the time the East Lancashire Railway opened the line in 1845.

 

My layout “Dreams of Summerseat,” will be a heritage railway as well, based loosely on the current East Lancashire Railway, It will represent Summerseat as it is today with some fictional elements as well as reincorporating aspects of Summerseat that are long gone — hence “dreams”. The layout is 96 inches x 39 inches (roughly 2.5 meters by 1 meter). It will also an oval of track be split into two sides longitudinally separated by a backscene -- effectively making more like a a continuous 16-foot by 20-inch layout -- the front section representing the line from Bury as it passes the Chestwheel crossing and into Summerseat station and curving away towards the town; and the back section representing the old goods shed (now the Victorian Lanterns apartments), onto the Brooksbottoms viaduct over the River Irwell and into the Brooksbottoms tunnel on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by MattR

[MattR]

As it was in the beginning. After months of planning, construction work finally got started back in October. It's built from pine 1x2s for the frame with 1" insulation foam over the top and 1/4" poplar fascia boards. Attempting to make this as lightweight and non-permanent as possible. I live in the U.S. and the layout will be indoors in a 3-year-old temperature-controlled house, so I won't have to worry much about weather extremes messing with the layout.

Edited April 3, 2023 by MattR

[MattR]

Late fall is a bad time to start a layout that must be constructed outdoors. Cold weather, and even more so, rainy weather put most of the construction on hold until March of this year. Here it was as of March 5, with the foam board on the completed base, with beginnings of plaster work for the sections representing the River Irwell.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by MattR

[MattR]

At long last, the layout finally moved indoors on March 25. Here are views of both sides. The unpainted area will be where a hill sits (haven't started making that yet) that will butt up against the backscene that splits the layout. This was a slightly different track plan before I secured everything down.

 

 

[MattR]

Scratch-built representation of the goods shed at Summerseat station. Might be slightly over scale.

 

 

[MattR]

Fascia boards finally painted and final track layout secured down with acrylic caulk in an attempt to soften the sound (that may come back to bite me.)

 

 

[MattR]

Painted/weathered the track yesterday. My first time using the airbrush I got for Christmas 2021 for something other than locomotive weathering. I was very pleased with how it came out. It would have taken me hours with brushes to do this.

[MattR]

Side scene boards up. Not quite an accurate background for Summerseat, but it’ll have to do. I’ll have to use some sea foam trees to block out the flock of sheep.

 

 

[MattR]

Locomotives and their rolling stock at Dreams of Summerseat:

 

Pregrouping (L&YR)

• Passenger locomotive: Bachmann L&YR Class 5 in L&YR livery
• Passenger stock: Hatton's L&YR 4- and 6-wheeled coaches (x6)
• Goods locomotive: None
• Goods stock: None

 

Grouping (LMS)

• Passenger locomotive: Hornby Stanier 2-6-4 in LMS lined black
• Passenger stock: Hornby LMS non-corridor suburban coaches (x4)
• Passenger locomotive on express goods: Hornby Royal Scot "Lancashire Fusilier" in LMS lined postwar livery
• Express goods stock: Milk tankers (x4) and Hornby LMS parcels van (x1)
• Goods locomotive: Bachmann LMS G2A in LMS black
• Goods stock: Various Lancashire-based and/or L&YR private owner wagons (x32 + LMS brake van)

 

Nationalization

• Passenger locomotive A: Bachmann L&YR Class 5 in pull-push configuration in BR lined black with early crest
• Passenger stock A: Hornby ex-LMS non-corridor suburban brake third converted to pull-push driving coach
• Passenger locomotive B: 2-car Bachmann Class 105 in BR green with small yellow panel
• Passenger stock B: N/A
• Passenger locomotive C: Hornby Black 5 in BR unlined black with late crest
• Passenger stock C: Various rakes of up to 12 Mk. I coaches (6 crimson, 4 blood and custard, 2 blue and grey)
• Passenger locomotive D: Bachmann Hughes Crab in BR black with late crest
• Passenger stock D: Same as Passenger Stock C; or LMS non-corridor suburban coaches
• Passenger locomotive E: Bachmann Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 in BR black with late crest
• Passenger stock E: Same as Passenger Stock C
• Passenger locomotive F: Bachmann Jubilee in BR green 
• Passenger stock F: Same as Passenger Stock C
• Goods locomotive A: Hornby Black 5 in BR unlined black (same as passenger locomotive C)
• Goods stock A: Various vans (x15 + BR brake van); or LMS parcels van and 2 Mk. I GUVs
• Goods locomotive B: Bachmann WD 2-8-0 in BR black with early crest
• Goods locomotive C: Bachmann Class 25 in BR blue
• Goods locomotive D: Bachmann Class 40 in BR blue
• Goods stock B, C: Various rakes of up to 12 21-ton hoppers and five 16-ton mineral wagons plus two BR brake vans;
• Goods stock D: Lima newspapers Mk. I GUVs in BR blue (x2) and Mk. I BG in BR blue (x1)

 

Preservation (included repurposed previously listed locomotives)

• Passenger locomotive A: Hornby Royal Scot "Lancashire Fusilier" in LMS lined postwar livery
• Passenger locomotive B: Bachmann 3F Jinty in BR unlined black
• Passenger stock A & B: Various rakes of up to 12 Mk. I coaches (6 crimson, 4 blood and custard, 2 blue and grey)
• Goods locomotive A: Bachmann 3F Jinty in BR unlined black (same as Passenger locomotive B)
• Goods stock A: Various rakes of up to five brake vans (LMS x1, GWR x1, SR x1, BR x2)
• Goods locomotive B: Bachmann Class 25 in BR blue
• Goods stock B: Hornby Sea Lion ballast hopper (x1) and Hornby Shark ballast plough (x1)

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by MattR
Hatton's price drops & bargains have allowed for some new additions

[MattR]

Attempting to get the River Irwell to look somewhat realistic. Making it blend with the backscene will be a challenge.

 

 

[MattR]

Got some static grass down yesterday

 

 

[MattR]

Change of plans. The Jubilee is out to grass for the moment until I find some suitable coaches for her to pull. As such, the Fowler tank has been repainted/renumbered and is now on the suburban stock, whereas the BR Mk. 1 coaches will now be pulled by a Black 5 in BR livery.

Also, some partial work starting on the mid-layout backscene and the hill that will back up to it.

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by MattR

[lilchris]

Nice layout mate, it’s coming along nicely. A good book to buy if you can get it in the USA is “Railways In And Round Bury” by Jeffrey Wells(ISBN-899624-00-7) some good pictures and history of the station. Chris H.

Edited April 27, 2023 by lilchris
Correction to text

[MattR]

8 minutes ago, lilchris said:

Nice layout mate, it’s coming along nicely. A good book to buy if you can get it in the USA is “Railways In And Round Bury” by Jeffrey Wells(ISBN-899624-00-7) some good pictures and history of the station. Chris H.

 

Thank you! I do have that one, as well as Wells' "East Lancashire Lines: Bury to Heywood & Rawtenstall" and Andy Coward's "The Decline and Fall of British Railways in Bury & Rossendale" -- all excellent books. As someone who had never heard of Summerseat last year, I've done so much research on the community and general region that I feel like a bit of an amateur historian. I would give anything to visit one day.

[MattR]

Just arrived today from Model Railway Scenes!

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by MattR

[lilchris]

Wow like those signs, could do with some for my Ringley rd station. Which is based on the line to Accrington the same as Summerseat.  I have not been down there for ages, Summerseat that is, will have to go and take some pics. I have the East Lancashire Lines book too which is what my railway is loosely based on. Chris H.

[Stuart A]

Nice project.  I live fairly locally (Stubbins), so if you ever want any current day prototype photos taking let me know

[MattR]

Thank you, gentlemen!

[MattR]

Not happy with my original station kitbash from the old Airfix/Dapol kit, I’m just scratchbuilding one to get it closer in looks (and in scale) to the source. Next up — windows and trying to figure out how to scratchbuild a hipped roof.

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by MattR

[MattR]

So little time, so many ways to get sidetracked. For the last little while I've been working on changing my Bachmann BR green Class 25 into rail blue. Complete respray with transfers from Railtec. I need to finish sorting the headcode boxes and I'm going to attempt some wire handrails instead putting of the flimsy plastic ones back on. 25083 spent the last years of its working life (December 1980 - July 1984) at Springs Branch, so it works for my layout (and 25083 was preserved too, as well). At Summerseat, it will haul newspaper empties (not something you'd see on this line, preserved or otherwise, but as an old newspaper man, I couldn't resist) as well as the coal hoppers/wagons that were loaded at the Rawtenstall coal depot in the '70s. And it will also get the track maintenance train (a Sealion and a Shark).

[MattR]

Finally getting some mojo back and been working on the layout for the last several days. At long last got the bridge/overpass sorted, retaining walls placed, laid down the first part of the roadway and after much consternation, built the steps that go from street level to the platform (not really shown in this photo). Perhaps the most significant of all, I actually glued down part of the platform -- it's getting serious now! 😆

 

 

[JN]

This brings back some happy memories...

[MattR]

Finally got this Bachmann L&YR Class 5 renumbered to 50647, which had several stints at Bury in the 1950s on pull-push work until the arrival of the Derby Lightweight DMU. 50647 was one of the few Class 5s to retain its original round-topped firebox as well as original (non-extended) coal rail. Scratchbuilt pull-push gear is rudimentary but looks OK from a distance. Transfers from Railtec. Pull-push coach (still a work in progress) made from a Hornby LMS brake coach with the Wizard models brass end plate and scratchbuilt details (most from my spares box of old 1/35 tank parts!)

 

 

[LNER_Fan]

Very nice work! I found this through your trackplanning thread, and you're making me re-think my own plans of trying to fit as much as possible in a limited space to doing much more limited trackwork, with nicer scenery and just one or two "signature" scenes.

[MattR]

Thanks! Trying to (sort of) faithfully represent a place with a simple real-life layout helps. It takes away the urge to add additional track work or details that weren't there on the original (engine sheds, water towers, cattle docks, etc.). Although the "dream" part of the layout name is my excuse to represent things not quite correctly, for instance having the station buiding still exist (it was torn down in 1970) but I have it set in the middle of the platform instead of the extreme southern end where it sat in real life. Good luck with your plan!

 

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by MattR