Minster

[Danemouth]

One of my friends In Cardiff's Bay MRG is John R - John isn't a member of RMWEB but BR2975 and myself have persuaded him to join. John has built and exhibited several layouts over the years as well as being heavily involved with the club layouts. At the Cardiff Show this weekend he exhibited Minster for the first time, a layout built since buying a Bachmann Maintenance Depot at last year's show; with his permission here are some photographs of the layout - in the first picture that's him on the right with me on the left:

 

 

The layout is on three 4 ft by 20 inch boards, two are scenic and the other a sector plate with three roads - each road can only handle a 2 car DMU but that didn't stop us ending with with six two car units and two 1 car units.

 

Minster is a fictional setting around Shrewsbery, what was a through station was rationalised to a terminus and the orginal station buildings sold for re-development. Here are some overall views:

 

 

 

The building in the background was the Metcalfe Bus Depot until John worked has magic

 

 

They have an interesting life in Minster - what's she doing in that windows

 

 

They're repairing the platform

 

 

 

The church is a Metcalfe kit turned into low relief

 

 

And the Bachmann Depot that started it all

 

 

 

Some further views

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and finally John with Brian (BR2975)

 

 

John tells me that there is a great deal of further detailing yet to be done e.g. signals

 

Hope you enjoy looking at this layout as much as I did operating it for most of two days

 

Dave

[DavidB-AU]

Simple but effective. Plenty of scope for lots of movement to keep the punters entertained.

 

Any chance of a seeing the fiddle yard?

 

Cheers

David

[Kris]

Looks like a well thought out layout. The simplicity of the design looks like it gives the feeling of space.

[br2975]

Any chance of a seeing the fiddle yard?

 

I don't know whether Dave (Danemouth) took any shots of the fiddle yard; but, it's a four road sector plate that accomodates the largest unit in use. The sector plate is fed by all five roads that leave the scenice board i.e. the two running roads, the two shed roads and the carriage washer.

.

The sector plate is sprung from below, which keeps the 'business end' of the sector plate constantly level with the entrance roads from the scenic board -which also forms two seperate operating areas, the station and the stabling point....... all in all, a good concept by John.

.

Brian R

[Danemouth]

Brian,

 

I didn't take any pictures of the three road sector plate - now that John has joined RMWEB "Minster" is his monicker, perhaps we can persuade him to add a photo. There is one interesting thing about the sector plate - not all three roads feed all five tracks, so you have to think your moves. Yesterday I did manage to have six two car sets and two 1 car sets on the layout with the sector plate empty

 

This is only the second exhibition I have attended as an operator. One thing struck me - the number of youngsters who stayed for ages watching the layout, one lad watched for over half an hour on Saturday and made his grandmother bring him back again on Sunday. All of this with the layout tucked away in a side room. Our success was due to three reasons IMHO:

 

• There was never more than 30 seconds without something moving,
• The DMUs were all in different liveries, and
• It was something youngsters could identify with.

The Arriva livery was particularly popular for some reason!

 

Incidentally the Strip Club Sign and Lady in the window tended to be spotted by the ladies first.

 

Dave

[37058]

This is really nice. I was building a layout similar a couple of years ago but never got round to finishing it and was sad to of abandoned it.......

 

I do plan to have another go soon though and Minster has gave me some good inspiration.

 

Cracking layout guys....

 

Anthony

 

 

[mckinneyc]

Lovely layout. My Gran lives in Telford so have been to Shrewsbury many many times. It really does feel like Shrewsbury or Wellington with all the redbrick buildings. Nice work!

[Minster]

Hi,

 

Here is a photo of the fiddle yard after construction but prior to any track laying.

I don't know whether Dave (Danemouth) took any shots of the fiddle yard; but, it's a four road sector plate that accomodates the largest unit in use. The sector plate is fed by all five roads that leave the scenice board i.e. the two running roads, the two shed roads and the carriage washer.

.

The sector plate is sprung from below, which keeps the 'business end' of the sector plate constantly level with the entrance roads from the scenic board -which also forms two seperate operating areas, the station and the stabling point....... all in all, a good concept by John.

.

Brian R

[Minster]

This is really nice. I was building a layout similar a couple of years ago but never got round to finishing it and was sad to of abandoned it.......

 

I do plan to have another go soon though and Minster has gave me some good inspiration.

 

Cracking layout guys....

 

Anthony

 

 

 

 

Glad you enjoyed the pics and it has given that bit of inspiration!

 

John

 

 

[Minster]

Lovely layout. My Gran lives in Telford so have been to Shrewsbury many many times. It really does feel like Shrewsbury or Wellington with all the redbrick buildings. Nice work!

 

Hi,

 

Yes its amazing what you find in the boxes of bits! and it was only looking through and kit bashing metcalfe models with some scratch built buildings that allowed that lovely red brick of Shrewsbury to dominate the area, when I was building Minster college school and the footbridge I thought yes Its starting to get the flavour. But from someone like yourself that knows the area well your comment means a lot.

 

Thanks John.

[Andy Y]

I think you've done a good job there John. You've certainly kept away from making it look overcrowded in the way than many MPD/terminus layouts are, made something believable and with a towered church given the feel of a reduced size Abbey. I'm sure it will inspire others to create something believable and achievable.

[Minster]

I think you've done a good job there John. You've certainly kept away from making it look overcrowded in the way than many MPD/terminus layouts are, made something believable and with a towered church given the feel of a reduced size Abbey. I'm sure it will inspire others to create something believable and achievable.

 

Thanks Andy,

 

Funnily enough you are probably the first person to mention the church, There was a lot of deliberation into what kind of church would come across as being not over powering but not so small as to be stupid with a name like Minster!

Glad you like the layout and I have been doing some more work on it, especially around the carriage washing plant area, so I will post some updated pictures soon.

 

John

[Minster]

Hi Everyone,

 

Following on from the previous photos that Danemouth took of the layout at the Cardiff show for me, Here are a few more showing the The extra detailing work I have been doing to the carriage washer.

I had hoped to make one with operational brushes, but due to the confined space of where the plant is on the board I have had to give up on this Idea and settle for a representation instead.

I managed to get some good responses from the questions section of which one was to use an old Lima one.

Well I managed to get one and take it well and truly apart!

Using some of the items from it, scratch building and kit bashing this is Minsters carriage washer -

 

The 3 photos show the pre wash spray treatment of water and exmover then on to the rotating brushes for a scrub and rinse.

[br2975]

Will that 'bod' catch a bit of wayward spray John ?

.

Do you intend to install any toilet emptying facilities ?

.

Don't forget your subs tonight !!!!!!!!!!!

(PS am in bad mood after Sunday afternoons result !)

.

Brian

[Flying Pig]

Nice to see a wash plant included as they seem to be a lot more common in real life than on models. Using as a view blocker is very canny

[TangmereTornado]

Great little layout, I like it ,just oozes character and atmosphere. Particularly inspirational for me because the baseboards are 20 inches wide - essentially the same as the maximum width I'm probably going to be able to allow for my baseboards. To see how much you've fitted into that space is very inspiring

[Minster]

Will that 'bod' catch a bit of wayward spray John ?

.

Do you intend to install any toilet emptying facilities ?

.

Don't forget your subs tonight !!!!!!!!!!!

(PS am in bad mood after Sunday afternoons result !)

.

Brian

 

Good point on the toilet emptying services, will have to find out some information on that one.

 

John.

[Merfyn Jones]

Good point on the toilet emptying services, will have to find out some information on that one.

 

John.

 

Nice layout John. For toilet emptying on class 153 and 158, it's onto the track. An oportunity for some weathering in the station platform area !

Units built post 1990 ish have retention tanks.

Merfyn.

[br2975]

............. toilet emptying services, will have to find out some information on that one.........

 

A good topic for club nights, methinks ?

 

Are not wheeled, sealed tanks used to empty the retention systems ?

 

Not a subject that has been aired on this forum (AFAIK).

 

Brian R

[Minster]

Nice layout John. For toilet emptying on class 153 and 158, it's onto the track. An oportunity for some weathering in the station platform area !

Units built post 1990 ish have retention tanks.

Merfyn.

 

 

Not the dreaded toilet tissues on the tracks in the station area!!!

 

Thanks for your comments,

 

John.

[Minster]

Great little layout, I like it ,just oozes character and atmosphere. Particularly inspirational for me because the baseboards are 20 inches wide - essentially the same as the maximum width I'm probably going to be able to allow for my baseboards. To see how much you've fitted into that space is very inspiring

 

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

The boards are 20'' wide by design as that is the only size that will fit through the trap door to my loft where Minster lives and 12' in total length as this is just under the maximum available space in the loft.

 

Some times you have to put more thought into a layout when the dimensions are smaller than when there is a large area to work on and this can lead to a lot of nothing covering a large area.

[Minster]

Nice to see a wash plant included as they seem to be a lot more common in real life than on models. Using as a view blocker is very canny

 

 

Hi,

 

I thought of all the usual bridge cut off points and it was just getting a bit boring, then moved onto a building to hide the view and from that the idea of using the shed and washing plant to hide most of the view of the main line and let 3 roads in total be lost through them just all started to fall into place!

 

Glad you enjoyed the layout.

 

John.

[TangmereTornado]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

The boards are 20'' wide by design as that is the only size that will fit through the trap door to my loft where Minster lives and 12' in total length as this is just under the maximum available space in the loft.

 

Some times you have to put more thought into a layout when the dimensions are smaller than when there is a large area to work on and this can lead to a lot of nothing covering a large area.

 

That sounds very similar to the maximum dimensions I'm going to have to play with for my layout, and I like how you've managed to fit a lot into the space you have. It looks good, and there's lots of interest without it becoming cluttered and crammed. It seems to bely it's small space, if you see what I mean.

[Minster]

That sounds very similar to the maximum dimensions I'm going to have to play with for my layout, and I like how you've managed to fit a lot into the space you have. It looks good, and there's lots of interest without it becoming cluttered and crammed. It seems to bely it's small space, if you see what I mean.

 

Hi,

 

Yes I know where you are coming from and I think the way to get that feeling and the detail is to just look at what you are going to build in photos and in the flesh if you can. Then study every little detail no matter how insignificant it is on its own and put as many of them as you can together on the layout.

That way for me anyway, I can build up the feeling of the place in the model, from the locos to the buildings down to the way you poise two figures that they are having a chat to one another rather than ' oh, there's a space' I can put this one in there!

 

John

[Natalie]

Hi

Looks a nice layout- full of interest but not overcrowded. One to keep an eye out for. I did notice the church too and immediately thought of pics that I had seen of Shrewsbury Abbey 'station' and a Jocko and some tanks being overlooked by said religious building. Is this a trip working you are likely to be replicating- or considering the time period- rejuvenating?

 

That church must also be a railway vicar's dream come true- unless of course the church managed to send one of the few non railway interested clergy. Finally I bet the services were fun there on a Sunday - especially if they were shunting the yard with all those units or there was a T3 on right outside with a bit of tamping going on with all those horns, sirens and banging unless of course they still honoured the 'Sunday Interval' (I think that was what it was called.)