Waddon Marsh Revived!

[Pete 75C]

Having mocked up the road bridge recently, I became rather fixated with it at the expense of other more pressing tasks. The result is I've taken it through (almost) to scenic completion. Still needs added scenic grime. The road vehicles are too shiny and some are out of context, but I'm just playing! As far as accuracy (with regard to the prototype bridge) is concerned, there are compromises. There was originally a roadway through the bridge to roughly the point where you can see the concrete pad in the pictures. Due to space constraints this has had to be left out. Now that at least one scenic break is pretty much taken care of, ballasting the rest of the track must come next and then it will be time for the conductor rail. I have this plan in my head that scenically, the main board will be completed working left to right, so the gasholders will pretty much be the last thing to get done.

 

 

[Theduke71000]

Well what a wonderful medium this is-I threw in a couple of off-hand notes about operating practices and within 48 hrs we have a comprehensive list of what,when & where-excellent !-plus enough local nostalgia to delight this Old Purleian,many years removed from his old stamping ground-thank you gents !!

Lifeboatman-some good clean solid looking benchwork there mate,your comment about the board looking too small is a reasonable one,although I suspect not unusual when we see our 2D ideas take 3D shape and as I recall,the station was pretty tightly hemmed in and always looked slightly out of place in its environment-given your preferred time frame might I suggest that the Purley Way bridge should have a solid block of traffic on the southbound side,backed up from the Beddington lane traffic lights-I seem to recall spending endless minutes inching along from the Lombard roundabout.

Another impertinent suggestion if I may-although crossing there was evidently a rarity I feel that could provide a valuable operating feature ( why have a crossing loop & not use it.....)

As this topic seems to take in the C&SMRC-at least peripherally,do any of you recall a Tony McDermitt (Spelling questionable) A fellow biker who I used to see in the Railway Hotel in Purley who was a big man for Japanese Railways & actually had an almost unheard of N gauge J.R.layout built back in the late 70`s-believe he used to hang out with that crew...regards to all.

Edited May 12, 2018 by Theduke71000

[dasatcopthorne]

Nick,

Hello, my name is spelt: "McDiarmid" !!!

 

Uh in the 1970's I went over to modelling German outline in N scale. I joined the German Railway Society and for my pains they elected me Editor. (My German exhibition layout was "Zweibrucken" named after the town in Germany where I lived when working for the US Military.)

 

After a stint working in the Pacific, I returned to the UK and began modelling Japanese outline in the 1980's. I had two successive Japanese N layouts that featured in "Continental Modeller" that did the exhibition circuit. They were "Keio Shinjuke" and "Shin Izu". The former was based on a Tokyo city central area, featuring both the National Railway and the Private "Keio" railways, while "Shin Izu" featured a Japanese National Railway coastal line around 50 miles south of Tokyo. From these layouts I generated sufficient interest to start the Japanese Railway Society (JRS), and I filled the post of Editor for this Society for its first 5 years or so. At the time I was working for BR as a Driver first at Exeter, and later at Guildford. When BR was privatised, I left the railway and started JR Models based in the old Great Western Railway Carpenters shop alongside Taunton Station. I eventually sold JR Models, and moved into Property Development, which brought me to Germany.

 

As Hornby and Co have finally started making decent modles, I've been building a large OO scale layout based on Basingstoke for the period 1958-67. You should find a blog site "Basingstoke in OO" on the web if you look, which will give you loads of pics and explanations of many of my techniques, including handbuilt track. You can thank David Smith (who's keeping an eye on us I think) who was my "Mentor" for some of the skills I learnt when a member of the Catrshalton & Sutton MRC, all those years ago.

 

So what's your story? You were another Biker nut from the Railway Tavern Purley. I think they demolished the place some years ago.

Haven't been back that way for many years.

 

As for the Wimbledon - West Croydon line, can't say I'd model it, although I was a BR Guard in the late 1970's who worked over the line. I like mainline layouts (hence Basingstoke) with full length trains, having grown up not far from the Brighton line, and then of course been totally brainwashed by Dave, and his beautiful handbuilt SR EMU'.

 

Anthony.

Oi.

 

Watch what you say. :-))))))))

 

I'm listening!

 

Dave

 

Thanks for your kind words, mate.

Edited April 13, 2014 by dasatcopthorne

[Pete 75C]

Just walked down Sheringham High St to pick up a pot of Humbrol, and came home with a mint Lima ED, 73001. Looks absolutely brand new and runs pretty well. Bargain at £20. Managed to get so distracted by it, that I forgot the paint...!

 

 

[coline33]

Just walked down Sheringham High St to pick up a pot of Humbrol, and came home with a mint Lima ED, 73001. Looks absolutely brand new and runs pretty well. Bargain at £20. Managed to get so distracted by it, that I forgot the paint...!

 

waddon_018.jpg

waddon_019.jpg

Layout coming on great, Pete. Good 'EDL' there but hope you do not get too much TV inference from it. I have to be careful that the wife is not watching TV when I run my Limas! I hope when you say 'gasholders' you mean those to go on the backscene. Mind you doing scale diameter ones from the OS maps, those you might be thinking of having in the foreground would block out the view of Croydon as well as the trains and the fiddle!!!

 

When sending the OS map to you, I noted that a private subway passed under the WC-W between the gas works proper and the north side gas holders.

 

Looking forward to your next views of progress.

[coline33]

Nick,

Hello, my name is spelt: "McDiarmid" !!!

 

Uh in the 1970's I went over to modelling German outline in N scale. I  joined the German Railway Society and for my pains they elected me Editor. (My German exhibition layout was "Zweibrucken" named after the town in Germany where I lived when working for the US Military.)

 

After a stint working in the Pacific, I returned to the UK and began modelling Japanese outline in the 1980's. I had two successive Japanese N layouts that featured in "Continental Modeller" that did the exhibition circuit.  They were "Keio Shinjuke" and "Shin Izu". The former was based on a Tokyo city central area, featuring both the National Railway and the Private "Keio" railways, while "Shin Izu" featured a Japanese National Railway coastal line around 50 miles south of Tokyo. From these layouts I generated sufficient interest to start the Japanese Railway Society (JRS), and I filled the post of Editor for this Society for its first 5 years or so. At the time I was working for BR as a Driver first at Exeter, and later at Guildford.  When BR was privatised, I left the railway and started JR Models based in the old Great Western Railway Carpenters shop alongside Taunton Station.  I eventually sold JR Models, and moved into Property Development, which brought me to Germany.

 

As Hornby and Co have finally started making decent modles, I've been building a large OO scale layout based on Basingstoke for the period 1958-67. You should find a blog site "Basingstoke in OO" on the web if you look, which will give you loads of pics and explanations of many of my techniques, including handbuilt track. You can thank David Smith (who's keeping an eye on us I think) who was my "Mentor" for some of the skills I learnt when a member of the Catrshalton & Sutton MRC, all those years ago.

 

So what's your story? You were another Biker nut from the Railway Tavern Purley. I think they demolished the place some years ago.

Haven't been back that way for many years.

 

As for the Wimbledon - West Croydon line, can't say I'd model it, although I was a BR Guard in the late 1970's who worked over the line. I like mainline layouts (hence Basingstoke) with full length trains, having grown up not far from the Brighton line, and then of course been totally brainwashed by Dave, and his beautiful handbuilt SR EMU'.

 

Anthony.

Anthony, thanks for owning up to being a guard on the WC-W! I attach one of the photographs that our notorious Dave took in 1972 of the Mitcham Junction end of Beddington Lane Halt. Can you recall the purpose of the concrete structure at the end of the platform, please? It looks like an Exmouth Junction Works product. It has no door to the platform nor on the facing side. From photos taken in the 1950's it appears to be in the station house garden. Its presence continued through to the last remodelling of the station between the platform end and the 'fibreglass' building then erected at that end.I am wanting to model it and thought it may have been a lamp room similar to that at Coulsdon North. But with the lack of seeing all of the other side let alone the other end, I am thinking it was originally constructed as a garden shed!

 

I know the Guard was usually busy with passengers (my experience from 2-WIM and early 2-EPB days) and at the signal box end of the platform but do you have any recollections of it and its possible use, please? Kind regards, Colin.

[dasatcopthorne]

Anthony, thanks for owning up to being a guard on the WC-W! I attach one of the photographs that our notorious Dave took in 1972 of the Mitcham Junction end of Beddington Lane Halt. Can you recall the purpose of the concrete structure at the end of the platform, please? It looks like an Exmouth Junction Works product. It has no door to the platform nor on the facing side. From photos taken in the 1950's it appears to be in the station house garden. Its presence continued through to the last remodelling of the station between the platform end and the 'fibreglass' building then erected at that end.I am wanting to model it and thought it may have been a lamp room similar to that at Coulsdon North. But with the lack of seeing all of the other side let alone the other end, I am thinking it was originally constructed as a garden shed!

 

I know the Guard was usually busy with passengers (my experience from 2-WIM and early 2-EPB days) and at the signal box end of the platform but do you have any recollections of it and its possible use, please? Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

I don't think that's one of mine!

 

Dave (Smith)

[coline33]

I don't think that's one of mine!

 

Dave (Smith)

Dave. I thought all those of BL you kindly put up for me on the Croydon Power Station forum were yours. Until I know of the taker I have them down as of your collection then!!! Thanks, Colin.

[dasatcopthorne]

Dave. I thought all those of BL you kindly put up for me on the Croydon Power Station forum were yours. Until I know of the taker I have them down as of your collection then!!! Thanks, Colin.

 

 

I'm really sorry, Colin.

 

Yes that is my photo.

 

I hadn't looked back at them after your posting on Semg.

 

Go ahead and put it up.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[Pete 75C]

Another small update. Deliberately trying to avoid one of my least favourite jobs (ballasting), I've completed the walkway from the steps leading down from the road bridge to the bottom of the footbridge for platform access. At the far left end of the scenic section, I really am pushed for baseboard width, so this is perhaps the ultimate in low relief!

 

 

[The Bigbee Line]

Been away for a couple of days. Great progress Pete. Really like the pictures. Very inspirational.

[Pete 75C]

Thanks Ernie, and apologies I didn't make it to the Norwich show... a bit like buses, several minor family emergencies arrived at the same time!

For anyone that knows the area, you might have noticed that some things on my version of Waddon Marsh reality are in the wrong place and others are a pure figment of my imagination. Apologies in advance, but I'm just trying to use the available space wisely. An extra foot on baseboard width wouldn't come amiss for a start! During the timeframe modelled, there was open ground immediately behind the pedestrian walkway leading down from the road bridge. The garden fences I've chosen to include are there simply because that's the very edge of the baseboard and I couldn't think how else to define it - I'm not a fan of printed backscenes. For those interested in such things, I've included two common types of fence and a section of wall. The vertical closeboard fencing comes courtesy of a box of cooks matches, cost 75p. The horizontal lap panel fencing is simply styrene sheet scribed then roughened with a blunt blade. Thin vertical styrene strips are then added before the whole thing gets a couple of light sprays of brown. The concrete fence posts are made by laminating two thicknesses of styrene section together and shaping one end with some wet and dry. I managed to get hold of a can of Plastikote Suede Tan spray paint which has been in short supply locally. This, to my mind, gives a very passable impression of textured concrete. Apart from the paint and the matches, total cost of a scale 120 feet of fencing was nil - everything came from the "bits" box.

Finally, a question if I may... my scratchbuilding skills are limited and my thoughts are now turning to the signal box. Due to lack of space (again), the box may have to sit partly on the platform ramp... is anyone aware of a kit that vaguely resembles an appropriate SR brick-built box? I'm happy to undertake minor surgery but don't feel confident of building the entire thing from scratch. Thanks, Pete.

[bobster]

Looking really good Pete - First class work.

 

Cheers, Bob.

[coline33]

Thanks Ernie, and apologies I didn't make it to the Norwich show... a bit like buses, several minor family emergencies arrived at the same time!

For anyone that knows the area, you might have noticed that some things on my version of Waddon Marsh reality are in the wrong place and others are a pure figment of my imagination. Apologies in advance, but I'm just trying to use the available space wisely. An extra foot on baseboard width wouldn't come amiss for a start! During the timeframe modelled, there was open ground immediately behind the pedestrian walkway leading down from the road bridge. The garden fences I've chosen to include are there simply because that's the very edge of the baseboard and I couldn't think how else to define it - I'm not a fan of printed backscenes. For those interested in such things, I've included two common types of fence and a section of wall. The vertical closeboard fencing comes courtesy of a box of cooks matches, cost 75p. The horizontal lap panel fencing is simply styrene sheet scribed then roughened with a blunt blade. Thin vertical styrene strips are then added before the whole thing gets a couple of light sprays of brown. The concrete fence posts are made by laminating two thicknesses of styrene section together and shaping one end with some wet and dry. I managed to get hold of a can of Plastikote Suede Tan spray paint which has been in short supply locally. This, to my mind, gives a very passable impression of textured concrete. Apart from the paint and the matches, total cost of a scale 120 feet of fencing was nil - everything came from the "bits" box.

Finally, a question if I may... my scratchbuilding skills are limited and my thoughts are now turning to the signal box. Due to lack of space (again), the box may have to sit partly on the platform ramp... is anyone aware of a kit that vaguely resembles an appropriate SR brick-built box? I'm happy to undertake minor surgery but don't feel confident of building the entire thing from scratch. Thanks, Pete.

 

It is looking good, Pete. I did find that some of the original SR high fencing was still in place when I took the photos you have. I would certainly suggest using the computer to reproduce the house backs to suit the best size for 'depth', cut them out and affix above the fences with the sky painted as you wish.

 

With Beddington Lane, I have got to scratchbuild the signal box and I think you may have to also. However, Waddon Marsh box looks easier to build than Beddington Lane. I could not find a kit with four pane window frames so I too would be interested to know if such exists. Colin.

[Pete 75C]

I remember years ago seeing some concrete cable troughing made using styrene strip... it may even have been here on RMWeb. I know there are kits available but thought I'd have a go... Having spent a (very) boring hour cutting square section, H section and thin flat sheet into 13-14mm lengths, each section was fixed down to a scrap of MDF with some cheap low-tack double sided tape and then sprayed with grey primer. Once dry, one pass of my current fave product, Platikote Suede spray and then another pass of white acrylic spray has given a reasonable representation of concrete. The beauty of laying the troughing in individual sections, as per prototype, is that the cable run can take on a more natural meandering look. 2 or 3 sections of plastic-coated wire can be laid in the H section strip and a loose trough lid can be either laid alongside at an angle or omitted altogether. Obviously the square section strip will represent troughing with the lid in place. This needs to go down on the layout before ballasting and then can be weathered even further with Humbrol powders or similar. It will be interesting to see what it looks like in place... if it's a failure, I'll at least have learned something! If it's a success, I reckon I'll have around another 200 pieces to cut and paint!

 

Edited April 18, 2014 by Pete 75C

[Pete 75C]

As I'm writing this, the main scenic board is outside on the patio getting some air to aid with drying the ballast which has now been completed bar the incline siding at the front. The concrete troughing worked pretty well and I managed to find a link to the original article which gave me the idea. It was on RMWeb, albeit some years ago! I've shamelessly copied that idea and certainly can't take any credit for it. The end result looks so much better than just dead straight rows of Wills troughing. Once the ballast's dry, I need to add cables to the exposed sections of troughing and hit the track with some weathering. A bundle of Code 60 bullhead rail and insulators has arrived, so I'll be able to crack on and get the 3rd rail down soon. I'm going to experiment with using some Carr's metal black for nickel silver on the conductor rail as from memory conductor rail was never rusty brown - it always seemed to have an oily black sheen. I certainly don't want the 3rd rail to look exactly like the running rails. Pictures soon.

[The Bigbee Line]

Sounds good. The third rail will have received a good coating of de-icing fluid in it's lifetime. Hence the dark colouring.

[Oldddudders]

I'm wondering how much troughing there would have been in your era, certainly very little for S&T routes, obviously. No doubt all those pics that others have kindly dug up have the evidence.

 

For signalboxes, this chap has some affordable card kits which might offer some inspiration.

 

http://www.abmrailcraft.com/product-list---4mm.html

[The Bigbee Line]

I'm wondering how much troughing there would have been in your era, certainly very little for S&T routes, obviously. No doubt all those pics that others have kindly dug up have the evidence.

 

For signalboxes, this chap has some affordable card kits which might offer some inspiration.

 

http://www.abmrailcraft.com/product-list---4mm.html

 

edited after iphone posted with no text:

 

I was susprised by how early the wooden troughing was replaced by Concrete.  One wooden trough was the oil filled cable supplying the Substations, the other trough contained the cables to send the control signals to the Substations and TP huts.

 

Lots was replaced in the early 1960's

Edited April 21, 2014 by The Bigbee Line

[Pete 75C]

I'm wondering how much troughing there would have been in your era, certainly very little for S&T routes, obviously. No doubt all those pics that others have kindly dug up have the evidence.

 

For signalboxes, this chap has some affordable card kits which might offer some inspiration.

 

http://www.abmrailcraft.com/product-list---4mm.html

 

Thanks for the link Ian, that's a new name to me and should prove useful. With regard to the concrete troughing, I'm keen not to tie down the era of the model too tightly. I'm afraid I'm one of those people who might want to run a loco in large logo blue just because I can...! However, having said that, I had simply assumed that those pre-cast sections had been around for quite a while and would have been seen even in semaphore areas. I don't have the dexterity or the patience to start modelling point and signal rodding, so although there will be a signal box of some description, it may even be modelled disused and a few colour light signals might make an appearance. I just haven't decided yet! Even loosely basing a model on an actual prototype location is proving challenging for me, as I'm always tempted to alter reality one way or another.

[Pete 75C]

Track and ballast has now been given a uniform coating of filth, Humbrol 29. I get through stupid amounts of this in both aerosol and tin form! No local newspaper articles about the North Norfolk Womens Institute were harmed during the painting of the track. Once dry, I can touch in by brush what the spray has missed, particularly around the cable troughs which are currently masked off. I get great satisfaction from adding weeds and dry brushing stains/diesel spills etc. I've used a very fine Woodlands Scenic ballast and managed to gum up one point ever so slightly. Spotted and fixed before the PVA had totally dried thankfully! Pete.

 

 

[coline33]

I'm wondering how much troughing there would have been in your era, certainly very little for S&T routes, obviously. No doubt all those pics that others have kindly dug up have the evidence.

 

For signalboxes, this chap has some affordable card kits which might offer some inspiration.

 

http://www.abmrailcraft.com/product-list---4mm.html

Yes, Ian, a good link to a very helpful chap. Having got Kernow to produce Boscarne Junc. box, one of my china clay colleagues was instrumental in getting the North Cornwall line structures developed by him. Abmrailcraft were willing to look at some of my past requirements that could be easily adapted from the existing kits. Now there is some similarity between the Grange Road box sides and BL box and between the latter and WM box. So I wonder Pete if we can work out sufficient common parts for a box kit incorporating alternative parts to make both BL and WM boxes? If others are interested please say. Colin.

[coline33]

I'm wondering how much troughing there would have been in your era, certainly very little for S&T routes, obviously. No doubt all those pics that others have kindly dug up have the evidence.

 

For signalboxes, this chap has some affordable card kits which might offer some inspiration.

 

http://www.abmrailcraft.com/product-list---4mm.html

Further to Ian's question of which era for troughing. I have found a run of troughing parallel with the Goods Siding in Dave's 1972 view of BL Sidings from the pointwork into the Sidings as far as can be seen in the direction of BL. Unfortunately, there are few photos taken here but from those taken in 1949, 1954 and 1959, there are no signs of this troughing. Interestingly enough, the section of the Goods Siding track passed the water tower to the junction with the Passenger Line certainly was sleepered in concrete in the late 1950's.

 

So Pete can trough away to his heart's content for the 1970s!!! Mind you I now have to decide what to do as I attempt to portray the 1950 to 1970 period!!! Certainly I like his idea of obtaining accuracy. Colin.

[Pete 75C]

Having recently threatened to have a go at blackening some Code 60 bullhead conductor rail, the results are shown below. Really rather pleased with the result. As stated, I don't ever remember the 3rd rail to be shiny, rusty or dirt brown - it always had an oily black appearance.

Using Carr's Metal Black for Nickel Silver, a first attempt was made at blackening the rail by using a cotton bud. Very patchy result and not at all what I was hoping for - the rail discoloured in places and in other places took on an almost blue sheen.

Thinking immersion might achieve a better result, I hit upon a problem... a 24" length of bullhead rail is not like a 3 link coupling and cannot simply be dipped using tweezers. After a little head-scratching, I found a short length of 15mm BPEX barrier pipe left over from our recent house renovation. This is the flexible pipe used to connect hot and cold water supplies using special push-fit plumbing fittings. A snug fitting cap was pushed over the end of the pipe and sealed with many layers of insulating tape. A quick test using tap water confirmed that the end was water tight. The entire 50ml bottle of Metal Black was poured into the pipe, filling it to just over halfway. Six lengths of bullhead were then placed in the pipe, agitated slightly and then left alone for 5 minutes. Using tweezers, the rail was then removed and put back in the pipe the other way round. After another 5 minutes, the rail was removed and left to air-dry. The fluid was carefully put back into the container for future use.

The result is a chemical satin-black finish for the entire length of the rail, and unlike painting, shouldn't chip or flake over time.

If I had painted the conductor rail, no doubt some paint would have been removed when threading the insulators over the rail. I'm pleased with the result and I thought this method may be of some use to others, so I might start a "how-to" post for it. Pete.

 

 

 

 

[bobster]

That's a good Idea Pete - 3rd rail looks great, as you say, never seen a shiney one

 

Cheers, Bob.