Planning for Alnwick in OO

[Rock & Rail]

Work has picked up nicely in the last year or so, meaning I'm in a position to start spending a few pennies and finally get cracking on a proper layout.

 

However, I'm going round in circles trying to get inspiration for what I want to do

 

I've narrowed it down to a few "wants", so thought I'd throw it open to the good folks of RMWeb and see if anyone has a suggestion or two.

 

- Late 50s BR, north/eastern region. Ex LNER basically.

- Primarily freight/shunting based, but some passenger interest would be nice

- The ability to get away with the odd "big engine" visit (I have a soft spot for 9F's)

- To be based on a real location/prototype, although I'm prepared to use the ever helpful "modellers license" as required

- OO (I'll build my own track one day, but it isn't really an option yet, I just don't have the time or skills)

- To fit into 12' x 2', including fiddle yard. Not tiny, but not huge either, so I'm inevitably going to have to compress things, but that's fine. It's the overall feel of a place I'm after, not necessarily a carbon copy.

 

 

So, has anyone got any ideas?

[Oldddudders]

Work has picked up nicely in the last year or so, meaning I'm in a position to start spending a few pennies and finally get cracking on a proper layout.

 

However, I'm going round in circles trying to get inspiration for what I want to do

 

I've narrowed it down to a few "wants", so thought I'd throw it open to the good folks of RMWeb and see if anyone has a suggestion or two.

 

- Late 50s BR, north/eastern region. Ex LNER basically.

- Primarily freight/shunting based, but some passenger interest would be nice

- The ability to get away with the odd "big engine" visit (I have a soft spot for 9F's)

- To be based on a real location/prototype, although I'm prepared to use the ever helpful "modellers license" as required

- OO (I'll build my own track one day, but it isn't really an option yet, I just don't have the time or skills)

- To fit into 12' x 2', including fiddle yard. Not tiny, but not huge either, so I'm inevitably going to have to compress things, but that's fine. It's the overall feel of a place I'm after, not necessarily a carbon copy.

Not my region or era, really, but 9Fs in that part of the world says to this Southerner "Consett and iron ore". Is there an angle on that to fit your space?

['CHARD]

Awwww, it's hard to resist... But what about one of the end-on connections, branches or truncated lines of the network south of the Border, just sneaking into Northumbria? Reston, Redesmouth, Rothbury - surely there are some that don't begin with R as well!

 

I'm just biased in favour of Border Counties lines, of course

 

How busy a locus are you looking for? I note you hold a valid Modellers' Licence, so I'd have thought you can get away with a bit of latitude around a prototypical theme that may in reality have been a wee bit on the sleepy side... The good thing about some of these lines was they became essentially freight only but then hosted specials and excursions, for example, in addition to the odd railtour.

 

I'll post a few links later on, also I'll have a frootle about in my maps of the area, see if any more jump out and grab my attention. Great shout by the way, in that space I reckon you should be able to create something rather tidy.

[Rock & Rail]

Not my region or era, really, but 9Fs in that part of the world says to this Southerner "Consett and iron ore". Is there an angle on that to fit your space?

 

Hmmmm, that could be interesting.

 

*goes off to google*

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

The sort of plot I would suggest is a truncated cross country route, left open as far as a significant rail served industry, just a short distance from a major junction with a large steam shed. Workmen's trains at shift changeover, traffic routinely worked by something very old and 0-6-0, but regularly seeing exotic visitors when the usual loco is not in health. You can place that almost anywhere in ex-LNER territory other than the Highlands, according to taste in loco stock, industrial appeal and the like. I would find an E Midlands brickworks appealing. Not only fuel in and bricks and other fired clay products out, but also wastes from the Great Wen to be put in the resulting holes in the ground, in order to generate more traffic.

[Rock & Rail]

An enjoyable evening on Google has made me rather interested in Alnwick.

 

Seems to have quite a lot going for it in terms of a good layout:

 

- double track branch terminus

- a junction

- short train lengths (as little as two coaches) but with interesting engines (K1 etc)

- a fairly large goods yard

- a turntable

 

 

I think with a bit of tweaking it could be both interesting to model and fun to operate (particularly if I imagine the Cornhill branch remained open until the early 60's...)

 

 

Any thoughts?

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

You can have your 9F there. 92099 worked the last day of passenger service to Alnwick - Alnmouth in June 1966.

[Rock & Rail]

You can have your 9F there. 92099 worked the last day of passenger service to Alnwick - Alnmouth in June 1966.

 

Yeah, I had noticed that

 

I'm thinking that if I imagine a large industrial complex of some sort next to the station...

[Oldddudders]

Alnwick? Fine choice. Love the overall roof. Dirty Bottles pub, not to be confused with the Market Tavern, which I think my wife's cousin ran in the 80s. For your industry what about something more in tune with the area - agricultural machinery, perhaps? Was it Fewsters who had a big presence in Alnwick in that line of business? Haven't been there in 20 years, sadly - wife's Gran lived in Oaky Balks.

[Rock & Rail]

Yesterday I picked up a copy of The Alnwick Branch by Bartle Rippon, and even a quick read through has convinced me I've found my prototype

 

I don't think I'll really need to change anything too drastically, other than the usual tweaks to make things fit, the traffic levels (both freight and passenger) seem perfect, with the really nice part being lots of big tender engines pulling two coach trains, as well as a large variety of freight with plenty of shunting.

 

It also has the modelling challenge of a rather lovely station roof, a striking signalbox and an impressive signal gantry at the station entrance.

 

Next step is to have a play in XtrkCad and see what will fit...

[Kenton]

Next step is to have a play in XtrkCad and see what will fit...

To fit into 12' x 2', including fiddle yard.

 

That is going to be a big challenge, if keeping the track layout of the yard and trainshed as per prototype. Looking forward to how you accomplish it without loosing the "general feel" of the place. Nice location.

[Rock & Rail]

I've done a bit of playing round and have come to the conclusion I'm gonna need 12' plus fiddle yard to do it justice. This could be possible with the space I've got, it will just make things a bit tight

 

Bearing that in mind, I reckon something like this might be a goer. I've had to lose a few sidings and the turntable will have to be off scene, but I think this is a reasonable stab. It needs a few curves adding but as "proof of concept" I think it works. I might be able to get away with another 6" of width on the boards which should help to un-cramp things a tad.

 

It is also starting to push things back towards a focus on passenger operation, but this might not be so bad. What put me off it in the first place is seeing the un-prototypical sight of big tender engines pulling only two or three corridor coaches, but here that is exactly what happened

 

Any thoughts?

[edcayton]

Have a look at Barry Norman's book "Designing a Layout" (Wild Swan). He suggests a plan for Alnwick about 8ft long, but rather wider than you want.

 

Ed

[Oldddudders]

Having trawled through the link you provided yesterday - there must a week's worth of stuff to enjoy if you look through all the options! - I did enjoy the video of a K1 arriving, shunting its passenger coaches out - and then coming back in to another platform to run round. Slight concern that your runround in the lower pair of platform roads might be a bit short, but no doubt you've measured it. You might need to invent a few extra trains to make full use of all that infrastructure. Perhaps the odd through coach to/from ECML (even though I know that was not the way LNER worked such services)?

[Rock & Rail]

The bottom run round is a bit short for a three coach train, but as you saw from the video, why simply run round when you can shunt into another platform then run round?

 

As for inventing traffic, I'm inclined to take the line that the Cornhill branch stayed open to passenger traffic until the early 60s.

[Rock & Rail]

Add 6" to the width of the boards, with the addition of a slip on the lower run round loop and I can get it curved, which to my eye looks a lot better:

[paulr1949]

Add 6" to the width of the boards, with the addition of a slip on the lower run round loop and I can get it curved, which to my eye looks a lot better:

 

 

Looks a good plan. Enjoy! Of course you need to do some local research, it's a lovely town and the station is now a pretty good bookshop - and there's a preservation society!

[lmsforever]

Good discion wonderful place you should take a trip, the bookshop is great ,books,cafe,and you can still work out were every thing went ,Edlingham station on the outskirts of the town on the way to Rothbury is still intact.Wooler is also a great prototype with nteresting layout and traffic possibilties the backscene could also be of interest as it is set in otstanding sceneryand could offer an interestingrange of services.The preservation society is based in an industrial estate but are starting to build a staion and track at Lionheart staion near the bypass on the coast side of the A1..Rothbury would make a good layout as it had a turntable leading to the loco shed at the end of the platform roads plus a good sized yard the service wassparcesparce but modelers licence takes over!Northumberland is a wonderful county and has many locations that could be incorparated into a layout,the Northumbrian magazine is a good source of info and pictures of the area also articles by John Grundy which cover many subjects buildings, railways etc.Going back to Alnwick the canopy is still in place on the station biulding as are the cobbles and railings on the approach road the roof is still in place also just down the road towards the town is an archway that is a fantastic item for modeling ,it is the entrance to the town on the old A1 and is a bottleneck for traffic! Alnwick will provide a good day out for all your family,shopping,raliway relics,books,and of course the Duchess,s Garden a truly magical place.As you might gather I think Alnwick is a brilliant town and I have been going there for holidays for 14 years ,enjoy your modeling.

[Irishswissernie]

Just spotted this topic!

 

The book you need to look at is North Eastern Branch Line Termini by Ken Hoole Oxford Publishing ISBN No 0-86093-219-2 and long out of print.

Alnwick is covered and there are also drawings for the main structures plus a proper track plan. (The computer generated plan in Bartle's book is appalling!)

 

I also have a fotopic gallery covering the station:

 

http://erniesphotos.fotopic.net/c849166.html

 

Unfortunately I missed photographing the coal drops which were adjacent to the Station building.

 

Ernie