Finsbury Park TMD

[Ian_B_68]

I have decided after much deliberation to model Finsbury Park TMD in 4mm scale, with the time frame being around 1980 to its closure in order to utilise my much favourite 55's which I loved as a kid and my close second favourite locos, 31's and 47's so it seemed an ideal location to model for me.

I know there are other layouts on this and others loosely modelled but I wanted to go for the full monty and try and model it to as close as it was in real life when I used to go round it. i know it will be a big project but this is a long term one for me.

Unfortunately when I was young I never had a camera so did not get any photos at the time and as its now gone cannot get up to date pics of it so I am in need of as much information from others that could help even with anything that would seem minor.

I have found some pics and references online and have the usual books with the odd pic of a 55 sat in the yard and I know the DPS had the book out in 2010 but unfortunately I have not had any success in obtaining a copy and I just know that that would be the ideal reference for me.

I plan to make my own track and have already obtained my first batch of parts form C&L finescale and plan to get to grips with Templot and if possible get the track layout exactly as it was in real life.

I also plan to scratch build all the buildings so that is definately an area that I need references to buildings.

Therefore I would be eternally grateful if anyone can help in my colation of references or even have any suggestions on how to model something to do with Finsbury Park.

 

Many thanks guys, Ian.

[55016]

Ian,

 

Looks like you can still buy DPS book from them direct:

 

http://www.thedps.co.uk/gallery/album43/FP_Book_Cover

 

I've also seen this for sale at one or two exhibitions over the last 12 months but not sure whom the retailer(s) were.

 

Regards

 

Dave

[Ian_B_68]

Thanks Dave, I will keep an eye out at the exhibitions then, Ive tried contacting the sales team at the DPS but never get any reply back. Did think I might just send the money off to them and give it a go anyway.

[55016]

Ian,

 

Given your location "North Norfolk", you might want to pay a visit to the North Norfolk's diesel gala on My 25-7, when the DPS are there with 55019.

 

My guess is they will have a sales stand at the event either on one of the stations (Sheringham?) or on board the trains.

 

We'd certainly be doing that if we were in attendance with D9016 and/or 55022 (afraid we don't stock the book!).

 

I don;t think you'll have any issues with a postal purchase from the DPS ny writing/sending cheque, just as long you remember it's all done by volunteers, so don;t expect immediate dispatch. Think they've recently changed their sales officer.

 

From what I recall of flicking through the book, would imagine it'll be invaluable for you. I don't know if you're a member of the Deltic Yahoo group, but seem to recall someone posted some track plans and things some time ago which might be of help.

 

Good luck with it is it sounds a great project!

 

Dave

[Ian_B_68]

Thanks, Im going to the Gala day so will keep an eye out, I dont have an excuse not to go really as I live in Kelling and the railway is about 1/2 mile as the crow flies from me, we often go there on a sunny weekend day to Weybourne station, having a cup of coffee watching the trains go by.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Ian_B_68

[Ian_B_68]

Well I took a chance the other day and sent some money off to the DPS on the chance that they still had the book in stock and this morning the postie dropped me off a nice parcel containing the book.

Its a fantastic and will undoubtedly be hours of much reading, I am still however after any photos or details of the buildings etc that were at the park so if anyone has anything please do get in touch.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Ian_B_68

[Ian_B_68]

Almost a month on and some progress.

I have just assembled the first board that will accomodate the main depot workshop and am currently buying in various bits of track and other parts to start making the pillars for it to stand on inside the workshop and will use a router to cut out the outline of the depot in the board and then drop it down to give the pit area.

Ive tried Templot using the track plan from the book but am having trouble getting the scale right but will persist with this.

Ive found the book from the DPS very good for information and since posting last had no luck with depot drawings that is until until up to now.

I originally got in touch with the British Railways Board (Residuary) who gave me some leads and after weeks of trying have come up with some luck with my requests finally arriving at Network Rail Archives who have been great.

They managed to find some plans and drawings of the depot and kindly uploaded them to their virtual archive store so if anyone wants to look at them they can find them on there along with other depots / stations etc. http://nr.mediastorehouse.com/ I cannot recommend them highly enough after what they did for me and if anyone else is looking for those illusive plans for their project then they may be worth going to first.

Unfortunately they cannot produce copies of the plans at this present time but do offer their usual photographic prints option so I have gone for this at the moment just to get to see what the depot drawings are like and get me started on the workshops.

Again, if anyone has pictures or any other info that they wish to share with me would be greatly appreciated.

[Jon020]

Ian, I admire your ambition and wish you the best of luck in your project. It's a vast area that you'll be covering and one that I will certainly be following having often admired the depot as we went past in the late 1970s.. we seem to have a similar interest in locos too... no problems there I feel!

I've the beginnings of a far less ambitious plan at the moment which will represent a location a few miles south of yours... and a little north of the terminus... but I too need to find some other details and once I've the beginnings of a plan I'll open a new thread.

 

So, good luck... and remember there'll be 5 Deltics running at the ELR 21-23 Sept

 

Jon

 

Edit - oh, and nice avatar! No. 19 I presume!

Edited September 5, 2012 by Jon020

[Ian_B_68]

Many thanks for your comments Jon.

I have followed many of your threads and they have in part given me the inspiration to tackle my locos and this project, as you say it is daunting and I still require much info on the depot and a couple of people have helped out so far and my thanks go out to them.

My project has halted due to a house move 3 weeks ago but I now have a garage that will be converted in to a modelling workshop and I have enough room in the garden to put a building up big enough to house it but not sure if I will get it in to a 20 X 10 space.

It is indeed No 19 in the avatar when she visited the North Norfolk Railway diesel Gala earlier in the year, Im lucky enough to be over the road from it so volunteer on there on the diesel locos.

 

Ian.

[Jon020]

Cheers Ian... happy to know that my trials and efforts have some positive effects. Glad to hear that you've found space for your plan; that's more than half the struggle. Good luck with the project and research. The FP book is useful, and whilst some of the captions are a bit "off" the photos are invaluable. Being close to the NNR is a boon... nice railway! We stayed in sherringham a few years ago and popped in every day - I'd arranged to meet some of the 92 Sqn guys and managed to get a cab ride before yard access at weybourne for the detail shots I needed for my drawings. Nice area too. A scale FP in the area is bound to be a draw too. So, again, good luck and I'll make sure I keep up with your progress.

Jon

[Melly]

Ian - there was a multi page article (including track plan) in one of the early editions of Railexpress. Let me know if you want me to dig it out!!

 

Regards

[Ian_B_68]

That would be good, thanks. There is a plan in the Finsbury Park book but not a complete one from what I can workout. All extra info is much appreciated.

[Baby Deltic]

Kier Hardy (Wibble of this forum) is building a very nice layout called Hornsey Broadway, which has a depot based on Finsbury Park:

 

http://www.emgauge70...lpageindex.html

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/7989-hornsey-broadway/

Edited September 15, 2012 by Baby Deltic

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi Ian and BD

 

Like my Hanging Hill depot building, Kier's depot is a 4 road version of the "standard" ER greenhouse shed. All were based on the same basic dimensions, for example side wall height, same angle of roof pitch and track centres. Non standard were Ripple Lane servicing shed, which was flat roofed, Stratford that had concrete girders not steel, Immingham and March both had taller side walls and March again had narrower window panes. The DMU sheds at Stratford, Lincoln, Norwich and Cambridge did not have glass fronts but corrigated sheet, these were a slightly earlier build than the loco depots.

 

I see you have acessed the Network Rail Archives drawings for Finsbury Park, I might have to get some copies myself.

 

A book you might want to get hold of is " Diesel Depots the Early Years" by Hawkins, Hopoer and Reeve (IBNS 1 871608 01 5), it contains quite a lot of background information as to why the Er built its loco sheds differentcly to the other regions (or why the other regiopns did not follow ER practice).

 

A couple of Hanging Hill photos.

Some 47s outside the shed, Lion and Falcon are pre Heljan scratchbuilt locos.

Inside the shed. The Type 2 is a Triang Co-Co cut and shut.

 

The old Hornby diesel servicing shed was a good two road version of Ripple Lane, pitty they did not make it a three road shed then it would have been perfect.

[Ian_B_68]

Many thanks guys, I have seen the Hornsey Broadway layout and think that is fantastic and has given me some ideas for mine.

 

Clive, your depot is great and I love the inside shot, how did you make the pillars for the track to sit on?

Many thanks for the book reference I will see if I can obtain a copy.

[Dan Griffin]

defo get the DPS book. ive got a copy and its the type of book, that if someone said, you can only save one book (i have around 500!), which would it be, it'd be that one. thats how good it is.

[Clive Mortimore]

Many thanks guys, I have seen the Hornsey Broadway layout and think that is fantastic and has given me some ideas for mine.

 

Clive, your depot is great and I love the inside shot, how did you make the pillars for the track to sit on?

Many thanks for the book reference I will see if I can obtain a copy.

 

 

Hi Ian

 

I used brass screws so that I get them all the same height. I made a simple plastic card gauge for measuring the height and adjusted them by screwing them up or down accordingly. A large wattage soldering iron is needed to heat up the screws when soldering the rail to them. If I were to be doing another shed with raised rails I would use slightly smaller diameter and a longer plain section as there is too much thread showing on my ones.

 

Here is a sketch showing the working levels inside a ER loco shed.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Clive Mortimore

[Poindexter]

Have you seen ths off RMWEB 2? Tons of pics and a track plan

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=25263

 

Guy

 

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi Ian

 

Have you seen this Pathe news clip http://www.britishpa...ury park diesel it was taken in 1960 when the depot was new.

 

Thanks Guy for the link.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Clive Mortimore

[Ian_B_68]

Guy thanks for that link, I have seen some of the pics on the EM web site but there are a more there I have not seen before, my search has never thrown up that page for some reason.

 

Clive, love that film, thanks for that sketch of the levels I presume thats info from the book I need to purchase? I was looking at using brass rod and did think about screws but was unsure of the amount of thread that may be showing. Im using a MDF base and am going to rout out the pits in it then was going to drill holes and put the brass rod in to that.

[the penguin of doom]

A very interesting project and one I'll be popping in on regularly.

 

I remember the shed, but unfortunately only after closure but every time we roared past in a 125, I imagined the shed with a stack of 55's, 47's and 31's dotted about.

 

It must have been an enthusiasts paradise.....

 

Cheers.

 

Sean.

[Clive Mortimore]

 

 

Clive, love that film, thanks for that sketch of the levels I presume thats info from the book I need to purchase?

 

 

Hi Ian

 

The sketch resulted from information from all sorts of sources including chatting to fitters from Stratford. It was drawn for an article I half wrote regarding ER diesel loco sheds. There are too many model loco sheds where the buildings, operation, track layout etc. do not match the supposed location. Yesterday I saw a layout of an ER location with the Bachman two road diesel shed on it. The Bachman shed is a compromise of the two buildings at Ebbw Vale depot in South Wales. To me it looked wrong, it would be like renumbering a Hall loco 61042 and calling it a B1.

[Foulounoux]

Really looking forward to this one. The end of term outing for me in the 1st year of senior school was with the school railway club to FP. Followed by years of ensuring I was at the front end of a Cravens and later 313 so that as we passed I could look out for any deltics I missed.

 

Colin

 

[Ian_B_68]

Its been well worth the wait, but today (with great thanks to my brother) I now have the plan of the main depot buildings I obtained from the Network Rail Archives scaled to 4mm.

I now have something to work from to help me construct it and its only now that Im realising how much work is going to be involved in constructing this one building alone, secondly, is how big it is when its rolled out in front of you, didn't seem that big when I penciled the footprint of it on to the board initially but now I have an idea of height etc I cant wait to get started.

[Jon020]

Its been well worth the wait, but today (with great thanks to my brother) I now have the plan of the main depot buildings I obtained from the Network Rail Archives scaled to 4mm.

I now have something to work from to help me construct it and its only now that Im realising how much work is going to be involved in constructing this one building alone, secondly, is how big it is when its rolled out in front of you, didn't seem that big when I penciled the footprint of it on to the board initially but now I have an idea of height etc I cant wait to get started.

Any images you could share would be of interest, I'm sure!

Jon