Middlesea John Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Yes, members of what I once called the bottomless pit of Hull MRS have begun construction of another new layout and, with almost nothing in the way of persuasion or arm-twisting from me, it is going to be based on the Bournemouth main line in 1962. It all began early in 2010 when I had a few conversations with some club members who seemed to think that I wanted to build a club layout. They were right of course; I’ve been a member since 1981 and I’ve had very little to do with any club layouts in all that time. The feeling I got, though I’m not sure why, seemed to be that if I could get together a group and come up with something a bit different from existing club layouts then I ought to be able to impress the committee suitably and get the go ahead. So, with little or no effort, we have acquired a group of about 10 people with a wide range of experience and interest for the project. Many are relative newcomers to the club or to modelling at all, some of us have been members for years and years and two of us have actually built and exhibited out own layouts over the last few years (Middlesea and Pen-y-Madoc). So, at last, we have taken the plunge. As I write we have built the 5 48†x 28†scenic boards. These have been erected so we can plan the track exactly. To the layout itself – like Middlesea it’s 1962 because that was the last year that a number of types of loco and coach were in service – in particular, Schools, King Arthur and Lord Nelson classes running alongside Bulleid pacifics and BR Standards. Unlike Middlesea and Pen-y-Madoc, this is a roundy-roundy (sorry continuous) layout designed to allow big engines to pull longish trains. The date and location put it in the 99% steam category as electrification did not reach that part of the country for another 4 or 5 years and diesels were still very much of a rarity. The time period chosen is the same as my own layout, “Middlesea†so we already have a good start of the stock required. I already owe thanks to 3 of our friends on RMWeb ( Andy Y himself, Too many Spams and Shortliner – I hate these aliases, I wonder if they have real names) who have given me information about the local brewery (Strong & Co of Romsey) and their famous advertising hoardings. We must have one of those on Ladycross. I guess that’s it for now. If it’s half as successful around the country as other layouts from Hull then they will be twice as successful as Ladycross. I’ll do my best to provide regular updates. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinW Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 A layout to look forward, shall watch with interest. Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 A quick update on Ladycross. The main up and down lines are almost laid along the 5 boards that will make the scenic part of the layout. This has been a quite laborious and time consuming task as we have been resetting the sleeper spacings on the Peco Code 75 track. Richard Bird has made it possible with a template which he has made and he, Eric Rilatt and Steve Farrow have been the main tracklayers. I have been introduced to the word superelevation which I have to admit does make the track look right when, as we did last night, we placed 35017 Belgian Marine and a rake of 6 coaches on the layout, ostensibly to check spacings on the curves. Once the main line is in place we can settle on the exact positions of sidings and, from then, the details of the scenery can follow. My eagerness to start scenic work was tempered when Steve reminded me that once the track is down we need to test it electrically before we can do any more. Yet again my enthusiasm needed to be curbed but we are making steady progress. Once we can clear the area I'll try to post some photos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Dread Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 The very best of luck to you John and your comrades. I for one will look forward to seeing "Ladycross" on the circuit in the not too distant future. Should you wish to bring the layouts date further forward and electrify it with the dreaded third rail, I am always available. Kindest regards from the other John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted May 11, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 11, 2012 Sounds good to me. Is Hull close enough for me to volunteer to help with ballasting? I've also got a few loco's that might be of interest. Phil @ 36E Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 A couple of interesting comments there. Mr Dread, your honour, I was brought up on Southern electrics in Sussex - proper green ones not the vile blue things that went to down the Bournemouth line where Ladycross is set so, sorry, we won't take you up on that. Quite like your idea on your layout of changing times/eras but my range of interest is too narrow for that. Mr Mallard - I/we have started our own version of the Ian Allan books - a list of Bulleids and who has a model of which so we don't have a loco on an up train crossing somebody else's with the same name and number on the down ! I'm sure you'd be welcome to add yours to that list. Keep following my (very) occasional rambles on here and come and visit us. Keep smiling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Dread Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 A couple of interesting comments there. Mr Dread, your honour, I was brought up on Southern electrics in Sussex - proper green ones not the vile blue things that went to down the Bournemouth line where Ladycross is set so, sorry, we won't take you up on that. Quite like your idea on your layout of changing times/eras but my range of interest is too narrow for that. Mr Mallard - I/we have started our own version of the Ian Allan books - a list of Bulleids and who has a model of which so we don't have a loco on an up train crossing somebody else's with the same name and number on the down ! I'm sure you'd be welcome to add yours to that list. Keep following my (very) occasional rambles on here and come and visit us. Keep smiling Please John, we have known each other too long, a simple "Your Worship" would be more correct! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 I'll remember that if I'm ever brought before you ! I thought Your worship was used when addressing the Lord Mayor - You're not Boris in disguise are you ? We definitely aim to have Ladycross at exhibitions in the not too far distant future but I think it will be a while. To be fair to my band of merry men, it's progressing more quickly than Middlesea ever did. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Good to see a Southern layout in the making ,how are things progressing? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted May 18, 2012 Author Share Posted May 18, 2012 As I said I'll try and come up with progress reports every so often. Last night our only physical work on the layout was to lay some cork over the area where the goods yard will be. We have been discussing the relative realistic locations for a goods shed (the normal thing with a siding running through it) and a small warehouse for local agricultural produce (based on the SCATS building that is made by Bilteezi or someone like that. The goods shed must be near the end of a siding as locos won't be allowed through it but there was a strong argument that the warehouse should also be at the end of a siding but space will prevent that. At the same time, Tony is running training sessions every Thursday teaching newcomers how to make model buildings. After this we looked on my laptop at some pictures I've collected from a mix of the internet and my daughter's holiday pictures to get some idea of the kind of things that exist in the New Forest area. A few of the Newcomers have joined the Ladycross group and we should thank Tony for his work in this. Hopefully Tony will bring some of these guys to a high standard and some of their work will appear on the layout. And I'll keep up my gentle dropping of hints of which locos and stock were active on the Bournemouth main line in 1962 in the vain hope that others in the group might start to acquire such things ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 I think it's time we had an update on Ladycross. Progress has been made - the scenic part of the track is all laid (and partly ballasted having forgotten to take up Mr Mallard60022's kind offer from about 2 years ago)and each of the team has, more through luck than judgement, taken on their own role. Steve has taken on the electrics and the backscene boards. Fortunately severe arm-twisting and Michael removal has meant that Ladycross will be much more simple than his Pen-y-Madoc. Eric has been ballaster-in-chief and has reluctantly taken on the task of building the bridge at the far right (up) end of the layout; Richard is doing the station platforms and the roads, Tony is doing the station building which is going to be a mirror image of new Milton/Hinton Admiral and Jean (Mrs Steve) is producing the hundreds of trees needed because I was stupid enough to want to build a layout set in the New Forest. Me -I'm trying to make the countryside part look like the New Forest and the goods yard look - well, like a goods yard. We have a goods shed which we bought from the secondhand stall at the Hull show and now looks totally different and a few more small buildings to make a start on the scenery. At the moment Richard and I are going to be the main providers of locos and stock so Mr Mallard is your offer still open ? We'd love you to come over and meet us. If I can work out the technology to get a photo from my phone to RMWeb I'll post one, otherwise it's your imagination still. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted April 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 4, 2014 That would be good. Thanks for the offer. I am in possession of far more BR SR loco's, including a Nelson and some Arthurs, than before as I am going ahead with a Seaton Junctionish to Honiton Tunnel OO in the loft jobby. They are RTR (except for a few; S15, M7 ,BR Standard Tank 82XXX and LMS Class 2 tank 41XXX). Also have A couple of BR Standard 5 4.6.0s. Coach stock is mainly RTR Bulleid and Maunsell. Have some Comet Bulleid coach kits to sort out too. P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 It's several months since I posted anything about our new layout - Ladycross. progress is steady rather than spectacular but I think I've managed to work out how to put some photos on RMWeb so here's the first attempt. Apologies if there's nothing here. I took a few photos in the summer and things have moved on since then but you'll get the gist hopefully. Photo 1 shows the left had end of the layout where the forest will be. We are using shall we say less good trees in the background and superior, hand built ones in front. These are being made by Jean, wife of Steve (Pen-y-Madoc) Farrow. If you've seen her trees on that layout then you know these will be good. The idea is that trains will disappear into the New Forest as they head off toward Brockenhurst and Bournemouth. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Photo 2 shows some of the sidings with the main line in the foreground. We think the 2 long sidings nearest the front will serve as carriage sidinfgs for part of the time. You can see how Richard has changed the spacing of the sleepers on the track which is Peco Code 75. The Goods shed I bought at the secondhand stall at the 2013 Hull Show and attempted to Southernise if that's a word. The stuff in the background (or kelter as they call it) is part of the Hull MRS O Gauge group's layout - Westwood Park. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Picture 3 shows the location of the station. More about the footbridge later. Oh and more of Westwood Park packed away behind. We do have a large clubroom and we all know we're luck to have this but we also manage to fill it remarkably easily. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Photo 4 shows a couple of the buildings for the right hand end of the layout as you will view it, by which time the road goes over the railway. The row of shops are scratchbuilt inspired by those facing the station approach at New Milton though by no means a copy. Left to right they are the Post Office, a greengrocer and an ironmonger. Yes - cliché alert - there are New Forest ponies eating the vegetables from the greengrocer's display. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 I meant to say hat the pub is one of the old Heljan plastic kits that I bought from Ebay for a pittance. I enlarged it using plasticard and didn't build it as per the instructions then I built the sticky out bit at the the front also from plasticard. The signs are scanned from photos of an old Strongs Brewery pub. The Inn sign is basically a posh cocktail stick I've had for years just awaiting this opportunity. Actually I had two - the other is on Middlesea. The Pub is called the Verderers Arms; verderers are the ancient custodians/administrators of the forest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 The next photo shows where the coal siding will be. behind it will e the narrow road down to the yard. There is now a retaining wall here leading up to the bridge that takes the road over the railway at the scenic break. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Oops forgot to press attach ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Now for picture 6. This is Richard Bird's stunning concrete footbridge. Some of Richard's modelling - no just about all of his modelling amazes me. This began life as a Ratio kit but he has added the lamps and even the electric conduit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Next is a little corner of the goods yard. 2 buildings here. One is a mess room / toilet for the men working (no women's facilities here). I bought part of this made of plain card, added to it and clad it with plasticard brick. Also added cubicles a washbasin and 2 urinals. Yes I know. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 The building on the right is a Skaledale Nissan Hut which I've weathered and run a sharp knife through hopefully to make it look like it's made of corrugated iron sheets rather than one large piece of corrugated iron. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middlesea John Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 The last photo of this group is another part of the yard showing the main line ion the foreground then the 2 longest sidings which will probably be used for empty stock some of the time. The theory is that, eventually, the track will kind of disappear into the forest through the hole in the distance. The mess room shown in the previous photo is now in situ near the farthest away buffers. Well that's it for the moment. I'll take some more photos soon - I just hope that I can remember how to put them onto the forum. Thanks to those of you who helped me to do it this time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Hi John and the Hull Gang, I've just caught up with this one and as I lived down south for many years (but well after the demise of Steam I'm afraid) anything in the New Forest would be nice. Good luck with Project boys. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted December 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 16, 2014 Great to see that you guys have entered "The Strong Country". Cheers! Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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