simon b

Thanks go to Steve (EE 8SVT) for helping in my search for the Silverlink class 150, Cheers Steve.

So time for an update.

Not had time to do much with the layout itself, but I have been collecting more rolling stock. The current list is:

- Hornby 31, with 3 Bachmann mk1 suburban opens, and 1 suburban brake end, all rail blue.

- Another Hornby 31, with 2 suburban brake ends, and 3 suburban opens, again all rail blue.

- Bachmann 105 dmu in blue.

- Bachmann 116 dmu in blue.

- Lima 33 in blue (I plan to replace this with a Heljan model at some point).

- 5 Hornby transfesea blue ferry van's, 2 electroen refrigerated transfesea white vans, and 1 Bachmann vda van in bauxite.

- 2 Bachmann CCT vans(1 green, 1 blue), Hornby ex lms brake in blue, Dapol fruit D in blue, Hornby ex lner CCT in bauxite.

Got a few more van's coming next week hopefully.   

So I've been doing some thinking.... 

The backscene along the top of the retaining walls is going to be a representation of some sort of covered market, only the back of it though. Possibly include the ends of the peco overall roof in there somewhere ect, to give the impression of a much larger structure. The market siding disappear's underneath this at an angle to a basement loading dock area (out of sight). Now I quite like this idea as it gives me an excuse to run a variety of perishable traffic into that siding, which bring's us neatly on to my new idea.

Let's suppose that the market siding receives traffic from oversea's, via the Dover train ferry. A daily trip working from the Transfesea depot at Paddock Wood brings in loaded van's and departs with the empty's of the previous working. This is on top of the domestic traffic calling here as well, so things will get quite busy. I'm thinking of building another board with a few reception sidings to add some operational interest to shunt these trains, it's also an excuse to possibly run a 33, 73, or 74 on the layout!

I've bought 5 Hornby Triang ferry vans in Transfesea blue from ebay (R741), which although not correct will look the part once detailed and weathered. There is also 1 in Interfrigo white (R742). Marklin do a H0 model of the Interfrigo refrigerated van, which although under scale isn't too noticeable due to the shape of the body (4733). A couple of these should complete the train.

Should add a little color to the sea of rail blue!

Shock, horror, I actually got the chance to work on the layout in daylight for a change!

Liking the new rolling stock. I need some 70s parcels stock myself. I don't tend to keep up with who releases what and when. Can I ask who makes the stock in your photos (above)?

Thanks Pete, the ex LMS 50ft full brake is by Hornby, cat number R4606.

The ex SR CCT van is by Bachmann, cat number 39-528.

I think I'll get hold of another Bachmann ex SR cct, maybe in green this time, and possibly the ex LNER cct by Hornby. Should look good being shunted around the market siding.

Thank's for the name ideas guys, that's given me some inspiration. What does the panel think of "Leadenhall Market"?

I hope you all had a great Christmas guys, looking forward to seeing in the new year with a bang now. I managed to get a little time to fiddle with the layout on boxing day evening, I did say I wasn't going to change the track plan but hey ho.

The main reason for this is that I found the board too bulky to handle at 6ft long, so I decided to cut it down to 5ft to make life easier. I've taken 12" from the platform end of the board, so in order to regain some platform length I've shifted the crossover further out to extend them. The cross over between the up and down platform roads wasn't aligned very well anyway, so I was glad to re-do that one. Trains ran through it ok but there was a definite kink in the track that was really annoying once you've spotted it. So the permanent way gang had to be called in.

The line at the rear of the layout was originally planned as a link to another station, but I couldn't get it to look right with the room available. I tried a few mock up's of this but there isn't the room to hide the curve of the track necessary to keep it on the board. So it's now going to become a loading dock for a possible meat market or parcels depot, and as such it no longer connect's directly to the up running line.  

Still got a little bit to finish off tomorrow, but the station throat point work now looks like this....

I also got some new rolling stock as a Christmas present...

Thanks for the input guy's, still not settled on a name for the layout yet so open to suggestions there....

Baby deltic, what's happening with the Harford street layout?

I recall the last week of the GN Widened Lines trains to/from Moorgate in 1976 (about this time of year or was it late October in half term week?), riding into Moorgate on empty stock compartment trains behind 31's in the evening peak. It had to be the most atmospheric ride you could have on BR at the time.

 

So I like the idea and design of this project. Greater width would allow LT Met/Circle trains on separate tracks if you wanted.

 

I dont think anyone has modelled Hotel Curve tunnel and platform at KX suburban yet!

 

Dava

The Hotel curve tunnel and the suburban platforms would make a great model on their own, plenty of urban grime there. Perhaps that's a project for the future? 

Width is the only issue. I originally considered a model of Barbican staion with both set's of tracks, but it was lacking in operational interest for me. I thought about possibly laying 4th rail along the center through platform roads of this layout, then I can run some A60 stock really set the scene!

Hi Simon,

 

The arches, made of what and by whom?

 

Looking good and added to my follow list.

 

Keep up the good work.

Rgds

 

 

Leopardml2341- I'm not really sure who make's those arches, I bought some at a swapmeet and some from ebay. I cant find any names or numbers on them, but they are made of vacuum molded plastic. It's really thin stuff, but does have a nice embossed brick finish. I'll grab some better pics of them this week for you.

I'm glad you like the pic's guy's, doesn't look too bad for a few bit's of propped up plastic wall! 

And thank's for the link to the Margery street thread, I read about the layout in the Rail Express mag but didn't know there was a build thread. 

Leopardml2341- I'm not really sure who make's those arches, I bought some at a swapmeet and some from ebay. I cant find any names or numbers on them, but they are made of vacuum molded plastic. It's really thin stuff, but does have a nice embossed brick finish. I'll grab some better pics of them this week for you.

Hi Simon

 

Here is a link here...

 

http://www.12admrg.co.uk/coldblow-lane-se14.html

 

Not much progress of photos yet but progress will step up after Warley

Bookmarked!  "run-down urban railway facility" sounds like just my cup of tee, I'll keep an eye out for progress with this. 

Very interesting thread.

 

My own layout in gestation, Coldblow Lane SE14, is based on the East London Railway in New Cross. The fiction behind it is that the lines which terminated at Moorgate were extended to Liverpool Street thus completing another link from North to South London.

I like the sound of that, do you have a link to your layout per chance?

The odd siding at the back could be to the meat market.

Thanks.

Could be, maybe a mini smithfeilds on top of the retaining walls?

Here's a couple of pic's from the planning stage....

A class 31 wait's in the loco spur to couple onto the rear of the next terminating loco hauled service, brick retaining walls at the rear.

Another 31 with 57ft suburbans in tow emerges from under the office block above the station, another service has terminated in the bay. The signal box will be a low level wooden structure, I've taken inspiration from Liverpool street metropolitain station here.

I'd welcome your thought's on this guy's!

Hi all, after a lot of false starts I've finally got around to starting a proper layout. I've had an interest in the city widened lines for sometime now, so basing the layout as a fictitious extension somewhere to the east of Moorgate station, I've yet to come up with a name for this, but thinking of something like "St Mary's street" or "Whitecross gate". Something that sounds like it belongs in central London anyway!

I'm planning to build this as a run through design with a fiddle yard at either end, but also so that I can operate it as terminus with only one fiddle yard should I need to. All the scenic section will be on one central board to keep thing's nice and simple.

The baseboard I'm using was built for an earlier idea I had, but changed my mind and never continued. I'd been playing about with various track plans on this for a few weeks, so when I finally laid out one that worked I pinned it down before I change it again!

Please excuse the bad pics, these were taken with a mobile phone late in the evening...

This is an overview of the scenic section, trains will enter and leave from a double track tunnel at the left end of the board. Then the 2 center tracks will form two through platforms, with a third bay platform nearest to the camera at the front of the board, the bay also has a loco kick back siding. The spur heading off at the back of the pic I'm not sure what to do with, I had an idea of making it disappear into a tunnel as a link to another station (similar idea to the hotel curve) or cutting it short as another loco stabling siding.

The track is peco code 100, with a mix of large and medium radius points.