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mdh1950

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Posts posted by mdh1950

    Cockfield, Suffolk

    in Layout topics

    Posted · Edited by mdh1950

    The trackplan at Cockfield varied quite a bit over its 100 years of existence. The earliest plan that I have been able to locate is from a 1885 OS map.

     

    post-17499-0-52647000-1514108584.gif

     

    The siding to the west was primarily installed to service a stud farm and, in particular, a granary. There is reference to this siding also being used for the importation of cattle from Wales and sugar beet pulp from Bury St Edmunds. 

     

    post-17499-0-79076500-1514108796.gif

     

    This is an extract from the 1904 OS map. By this time Cockfield Hall had been demolished. However, a loop had been installed perhaps indicating an increase in trade and the station itself appears to have been developed to include a signal box.

     

    post-17499-0-03146700-1514108677_thumb.jpg

     

    The above plan is from Ian Allen GER Trackplans volume 1 and is believed to represent the state of affairs in the 1920s (north is left). I am not sure how accurate this plan is but it does appear to indicate that the northern headshunt had been extended to under the bridge although the bridge itself is shown too close to the station. The siding to the west was removed during WW2 so that a tank trap could be installed along the western side of the line. This tank trap was supplemented by pill boxes manned by the Home Guard, one of these pill boxes still exists to the north of the bridge on the west side.

     

    Photographs indicate that sometime after the siding had been removed, a short siding was installed from the southern headshunt. This is just about visible in the first photograph of my initial post.

     

    Opposite the station platform there was, in fact still is, a goods platform that, at one time was equipped with a crane and loading gauge.

     

    I have sufficient space to model the full station complex in scale with a fiddle yard (transverser) to the south but not a lot else. My intention is introduce a scenario which changes Cockfield to a terminus. This scenario involves the destruction of the bridges between Cockfield and Bury St Edmunds to the north during WW2. After the war it was decided that it would not be an economic proposition to rebuild the bridges but that Cockfield station should survive to service the immediate area. Thus I plan that the “main line” will terminate to the north of the station bridge. This will enable me to recreate the “main line” should I have the space sometime in the future.

     

    I have not resolved how to approach the additional siding issue. Should I assume that the tank traps were never built or install a siding facing south?

     

    Track will be the new Peco Bullhead, including points.

     
    HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
     
    Michael
     
    • Like 3

    Cockfield, Suffolk

    in Layout topics

    Posted

    Interesting - now if The North East Area Group of the Scalefour Society could be persuaded to model in OO gauge (!) we might be able to join the layouts together at some time. Cockfield was the next station to the north of Lavenham.

    Cockfield, Suffolk

    in Layout topics

    Posted

    A great shot that I have not seen before. The two railway bridges still exist but the station site is now a small housing estate.

     

    I will update with some of my planning details soon.

     

    A very happy Christmas to everyone.

     

    Michael

    Cockfield, Suffolk

    in Layout topics

    Posted · Edited by mdh1950

    Having found layout topics to be most interesting and inspiring, I thought that I would add my own.

     

    I am embarking on a OO-gauge layout based on Cockfield, Suffolk.

     

    Cockfield was a through station on the Great Eastern Railway branch line from Long Melford to Bury St Edmunds. It opened in 1865 and was renamed Cockfield Suffolk in 1927 to avoid confusion with Cockfield Fell in County Durham. The branch was single line throughout although the infrastructure, in particular bridges, appear to have been built with doubling in mind. The station was closed to passenger traffic in 1961 and to goods traffic in 1965.

     

     

    With the permission of the owner I have crawled all over it taking measurements and have plenty of copies of old photographs.

     

    As I have poor carpentry skills, the baseboard has been made for me by White Rose Modelworks in Bedale. I am very pleased with the result which now resides in my loft. I would not hesitate to recommend White Rose.

     

    Restricted loft space means that I am having to take one or two liberties with the layout. Most importantly I am having to truncate the line so that Cockfield becomes a terminus but without, hopefully, changing the character of the place which was what drew me to it.

     

    The photographs show how it looked in the 1950s and how it looks now.

    post-17499-0-62564200-1512060317.jpg

    post-17499-0-38497700-1512060331_thumb.jpg

    • Like 7

    Wright writes.....

    in Modelling musings & miscellany

    Posted

    I was reticent about soldering until I saw one of Tony's DVDs - it was a revelation! I am a still a beginner, gaining experience with lineside buildings (Severn Models) and a wagon or two (Lochgorm) before embarking on my first locomotive a London Road Models J65.

     

    I share Tony's issues with some exhibition layouts but would add the frequent inability to properly accelerate, control speed and decelerate.

     

    Michael

    Wright writes.....

    in Modelling musings & miscellany

    Posted

    Huh, I resprayed my Ford Popular - using Ford Fern Green so the same shade as the original finish.  And it was done using the spray gun which came with an Electrolux vacuum cleaner (and was powered by 'blow' end that device).  Remarkably for those of us (dad and I) who were unfamiliar with all the intricacies of spray painting, pressures, and thinners proportions etc we achieved an really good, consistent, finish with no runs or blemishes.  BUT (there had to be one of course) because of all things we didn't know while the finish was absolutely consistent I think it was probably the only Ford Pop to ever acquire a perfect 'eggshell' paint finish - not a trace of gloss could be found anywhere.

     

    My first car, a Commer Cob, had been hand painted in a delightful matt peppermint colour - the brush marks were something to behold!

     

    Michael 

    • Like 2

    Wright writes.....

    in Modelling musings & miscellany

    Posted · Edited by mdh1950

    It's definitely out, David,

     

    My complimentary copies arrived yesterday. 

     

    Any thoughts on it, please let me know - critical if necessary (from anyone). 

     

     

    Mine arrived yesterday. As expected, it is an excellent volume! My only complaint is that it caused me a significant loss of sleep last night as I could not put it down!

     

    Well done Tony.

     

    Michael

    Wright writes.....

    in Modelling musings & miscellany

    Posted

    Well said, Iain.

     

    I am happy to acknowledge the debt that I owe Tony. Any skills (!) that I have in model making are 95% down to Tony's tutelage and the examples that he put before us in 40 years in joint membership of Wolverhampton Model Railway Club.

     

    Terry

     

    I agree with this too. Tony's DVD/Video on building locomotives taught me and gave me the confidence to solder! Thank you!

     

    Michael

    Hattons announce 14xx / 48xx / 58xx

    in Hattons

    Posted

    Hi Dave,

     

    The sound project we fit is a bespoke project created for the loco by Olivia's Trains. We supplied them with a running pre-production sample of the loco to match the characteristics of the decoder to the loco's motor draw etc.

     

    Regarding fitting, the locos are 6 pin DCC ready and don't require any hardwiring to fit a small 6 pin sound decoder although we have seen people doing this to lessen the number of wires in the boiler.

     

    Cheers,

     

    Dave

     

    Hi Dave,

     

    Is there a recommended small 6 pin  sound decoder?

     

    Cheers, Michael

    Hattons announce 14xx / 48xx / 58xx

    in Hattons

    Posted

    Hi Dave,

     

    This is the installation Guide on the Youchoos web site.

     

    http://www.youchoos.co.uk/Index-Resource.php?L1=Guides&Item=DJM14XX

     

    And this is the function list, order option and the ability to listen to the sound file.

     

    http://www.youchoos.co.uk/Index-Shop.php?L1=Project&Item=GWR14XX

     

    No connection but happy customer of sound for pannier, S15 and A3.

     

    Luke

     

    It must be possible to fit a sound decoder without hard-wiring surely?

     

    Michael

    Unbuilt railways

    in Modelling real locations

    Posted

    I actually stumbled upon a proposed but never built line after I decided to do a fictional branch.

     

    I needed something quintessentially ex-GER but around the late '50s. The Past & Present book had some lovely pictures of the lines around Long Melford etc. and I considered Clare but had to defer to a fictional location from a cost/space and "I want to run this" perspective.

     

    Looking through a modern roadmap, I wondered about an extension to the Hadleigh branch to meet up with the Bury-Melford line, the formation of which could hug the River Brett.

     

    Having decided this was an ideal solution, further research into the ACTUAL Hadleigh branch revealed it was an original intention to tap traffic from the Midlands to Harwich!

    (What did happen was they ran out of funds at Hadleigh, the line closed to pax in 1935 and freight in 1965.)

     

    Thus "Akenfield" can boast (via some "creative thinking" of the junctions with prototype lines) diverted expresses, and more interestingly, Varsity trains onwards from Cambridge to Harwich.

     

    C6T.

     

    C6T,

    The thread entitled "Long Melford and Hadleigh Light Railway - the "South Suffolk Light"?" gives information regarding the planned (and authorised) line from Long Melford to Hadleigh. A magnificent layout theorising on a station at Monks Eleigh was built a little while ago. I live at one of the villages along the route and have been told that there were plans for three other lines in the area - there is a plan to have a rummage through village archives to see what we can find.

     

    I am planning a layout based on Cockfield (Suffolk) on the Long Melford to Bury St Edmunds line. The station still exists in a very dilapidated condition. The baseboard is currently under construction and I am considering maintaining a thread or blog on this forum to report progress.

     

    Cheers, Michael

    • Like 1

    Hattons announce 14xx / 48xx / 58xx

    in Hattons

    Posted

    They do a nice variation of steak tatar in Belgium and the Netherlands (fillet americain) which is very good provided good beef is used.

     

    I find that in Belgium and the Netherlands they grind the beef a little too finely and it reminds one of cat food! The Danes get it just right in my view.

     

    Michael 

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