Stephenwolsten

Pavement-level view of the New York 'EL' at night in 0 Scale.

Another photo of the O Gauge model made in the USA for C.E.Box, author and son of W.L.Box, a General Manager of the LOR.

An unusual 1950s (?) tinplate diorama of the Overhead Railway, as seen in a privately published book by J C James on the LNWR/MDHB dock lines.

A well known Colour Rail image of Gladstone Dock Station on the LOR ,and of dock estate.

For years we modellers have concentrated on rolling stock and neglected other aspects of layouts, especially road vehicles. Now there is no excuse! Giles Favell shows the way with this exquisite example of a radio controlled 7mm articulated lorry.

Hi John, here is something about extruded poly that I posted on my layout thread. I hope it is still helpful. Members 547 314 posts LocationSurrey, UK Posted July 30 Resource notes on extruded foam baseboards by 'Alextrack': "Baseboards Polyfoam, expanded polystyrene sheet Gordon Gravett Pempoul. Styrofoam Average light at 32kg/m3 with grades up to 200 to 250kg/m3. XPS Foam Trylon http://www.trylon.co.uk/products/modelfoam.htm http://www.styrofoam-online.co.uk/ http://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/DOW/Dow-Floormate-300A-Styrofoam-Insulation-Boards.htm Sheffield Insulation. The Bristol branch SIG Insulation, Unit 200, North Bristol Park, North Way, Filton, Bristol, Bristol, BS34 7QH Telephone: 0117 931 3400 Fax: 0117 931 3411 http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/show_prod.asp?ProdID=879&CatID=37&SubCatID=80 It consists of 1200mm x 500mm x 50mm thick pink polyfoam insulation. Warren Insulation Ltd, (www.warren.co.uk) 4mm thick x 100mm deep quality ply glued http://mmrs.co.uk/extreme-lack-weight/ Foam to Foam adhesive? Can't air dry. No need for a jigsaw, it is very easy to cut by hand. I used an ordinary tenon saw for straight cuts and I have a dry wall hand saw that is very useful for curved and angled cut. The latter is one of the most evil looking instruments I've ever seen, but it does the job well. Both, of course, do make quite a mess! solvent-free grab adhesive. (No More Nails type non solvent type must be used like 'No More Nails' or 'Unibond MegaGrip') To avoid having to hold it altogether whilst the glue goes off with clamps, we have used 3-4 inch long wood screws No 14/16 size which have a large coarse thread, screwed in along the ply sides at 100mm spaces directly into the foam. It's dense enough to allow a very strong grip and bite for the screws to allow the go off. After this has happened the screws are removed for re-use. Knauff Floormate' on the web. I got mine from 'Hampshire Insulation' ( www.hampshireinsulations.co.uk) who can supply it in board sizes up to 8' x 2' and thickness’s from 5mm (be prepared to pay for some waste...) up to 75mm. Comes in various colours - I have samples in pink, blue & cream. It is NOT covered with any finish/silver foil etc. This is the dense urethane extruded foam. Cuts with a saw, Stanley knife, hot wire cutter with little dust. Can be sanded to contours with a surform (that is messy!) Glues with 'No Nails', is waterproof, stable in normal temperatures (although where it was subject to prolonged sunlight I did notice the exposed surface went 'floury'). If used for boards the only protection needed is to 'face' the edges with ply to protect it from life's little knocks & provide attachment points for baseboard dowels etc. You will also need to provide ply bases for any point motors - it does not like things being screwed into it! Like all plastics it does NOT like direct heat... do any soldering away from the board (i.e. use dropper wires on track etc) It does NOT like solvents! Dow Corning blue floormate is the most dense and is designed for, duh floors and weight bearing. This is the best stuff in my experience for structural baseboard/module construction. Its also the hardest to cut or shape. An update on glue testing. Sticking foam to foam: Waterproof PVA: took 10 days to cure. Good bond but can be pulled apart. Useless for sticking track to foam. Good for track to open cell foam like Woodland Scenics underlay. Cork to styrofoam still not set even after 2 weeks. Grip-fix from Screw-fix: 5 days to cure. Better bond than PVA. No good for track to foam. Solvent free contact glue: brilliant but no chance to reposition the parts being glued. Gorilla glue: best thing ever. Sticks foam to foam, track to foam, just about anything. Rock solid in 24 hours. You just need to scratch the foam and dampen one surface. Use a lot less than you'd think. I used Scotchweld 77 spray adhesive as it is formulated for closed cell foam. http://www.screwfix.com/p/gripfill-solvent-free-350ml/64958;jsessionid=2W1DRJVT5Jqj7dKStmcsDWF4WVT42L3s7rJ0GD9y0FyQQgbxk9hw!-868119574 http://building.dow.com/eu/gbr/en/products/styrofoam/floormate.htm http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/blog/568/entry-5183-matford-new/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/26606-foam-suppliers/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/13410-new-baseboard-materialstechniques/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/34132-styrofoam-baseboards/ 1525mm x 1525mm x 1.5mm Thin Birch Plywood. (Model making) - Avon Plywood 5' x 5' therefore."

Promotional photograph publicising the Yorkshire Engine Company's diesel shunters that replaced the Pugs in the dock area of Liverpool.

This picture of the Riverside Branch of the MDHB is outside my period but shows quayside clutter and the swing bridge over Princes Half Tide Dock, as well as the English Electric Type 4/Class 40. Such traffic included troop trains for Northern Ireland.

Canada Road layout, showing some clear inspiration from the Liverpool dock wall and gates. The Liverpool dockers never had time to create some allotments!

Dock railway atmosphere courtesy of a photograph on Mike Edge's Herculaneum Dock thread:

Resource notes on extruded foam baseboards by 'Alextrack': "Baseboards Polyfoam, expanded polystyrene sheet Gordon Gravett Pempoul. Styrofoam Average light at 32kg/m3 with grades up to 200 to 250kg/m3. XPS Foam Trylon http://www.trylon.co.uk/products/modelfoam.htm http://www.styrofoam-online.co.uk/ http://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/DOW/Dow-Floormate-300A-Styrofoam-Insulation-Boards.htm Sheffield Insulation. The Bristol branch SIG Insulation, Unit 200, North Bristol Park, North Way, Filton, Bristol, Bristol, BS34 7QH Telephone: 0117 931 3400 Fax: 0117 931 3411 http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/show_prod.asp?ProdID=879&CatID=37&SubCatID=80 It consists of 1200mm x 500mm x 50mm thick pink polyfoam insulation. Warren Insulation Ltd, (www.warren.co.uk) 4mm thick x 100mm deep quality ply glued http://mmrs.co.uk/extreme-lack-weight/ Foam to Foam adhesive? Can't air dry. No need for a jigsaw, it is very easy to cut by hand. I used an ordinary tenon saw for straight cuts and I have a dry wall hand saw that is very useful for curved and angled cut. The latter is one of the most evil looking instruments I've ever seen, but it does the job well. Both, of course, do make quite a mess! solvent-free grab adhesive. (No More Nails type non solvent type must be used like 'No More Nails' or 'Unibond MegaGrip') To avoid having to hold it altogether whilst the glue goes off with clamps, we have used 3-4 inch long wood screws No 14/16 size which have a large coarse thread, screwed in along the ply sides at 100mm spaces directly into the foam. It's dense enough to allow a very strong grip and bite for the screws to allow the go off. After this has happened the screws are removed for re-use. Knauff Floormate' on the web. I got mine from 'Hampshire Insulation' ( www.hampshireinsulations.co.uk) who can supply it in board sizes up to 8' x 2' and thickness’s from 5mm (be prepared to pay for some waste...) up to 75mm. Comes in various colours - I have samples in pink, blue & cream. It is NOT covered with any finish/silver foil etc. This is the dense urethane extruded foam. Cuts with a saw, Stanley knife, hot wire cutter with little dust. Can be sanded to contours with a surform (that is messy!) Glues with 'No Nails', is waterproof, stable in normal temperatures (although where it was subject to prolonged sunlight I did notice the exposed surface went 'floury'). If used for boards the only protection needed is to 'face' the edges with ply to protect it from life's little knocks & provide attachment points for baseboard dowels etc. You will also need to provide ply bases for any point motors - it does not like things being screwed into it! Like all plastics it does NOT like direct heat... do any soldering away from the board (i.e. use dropper wires on track etc) It does NOT like solvents! Dow Corning blue floormate is the most dense and is designed for, duh floors and weight bearing. This is the best stuff in my experience for structural baseboard/module construction. Its also the hardest to cut or shape. An update on glue testing. Sticking foam to foam: Waterproof PVA: took 10 days to cure. Good bond but can be pulled apart. Useless for sticking track to foam. Good for track to open cell foam like Woodland Scenics underlay. Cork to styrofoam still not set even after 2 weeks. Grip-fix from Screw-fix: 5 days to cure. Better bond than PVA. No good for track to foam. Solvent free contact glue: brilliant but no chance to reposition the parts being glued. Gorilla glue: best thing ever. Sticks foam to foam, track to foam, just about anything. Rock solid in 24 hours. You just need to scratch the foam and dampen one surface. Use a lot less than you'd think. I used Scotchweld 77 spray adhesive as it is formulated for closed cell foam. http://www.screwfix.com/p/gripfill-solvent-free-350ml/64958;jsessionid=2W1DRJVT5Jqj7dKStmcsDWF4WVT42L3s7rJ0GD9y0FyQQgbxk9hw!-868119574 http://building.dow.com/eu/gbr/en/products/styrofoam/floormate.htm http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/blog/568/entry-5183-matford-new/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/26606-foam-suppliers/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/13410-new-baseboard-materialstechniques/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/34132-styrofoam-baseboards/ 1525mm x 1525mm x 1.5mm Thin Birch Plywood. (Model making) - Avon Plywood 5' x 5' therefore."

More cobble techniques, this one from Giles Favell:

Inspiration from Giles Favell's Denton Brook layout:

Remains of dock gate showing mechanism and height.

Please see this film at 2 minutes 17 seconds in for rare footage of a diesel shunter on the dock road.

One of the pleasures of researching is finding pictures that were taken for one purpose but years later are useful for an entirely different reason. Pictures of the backs of buildings sometimes fall into this category. The Liverpool photographer and locomotive owner Keith Rose loved his minivan and photographed it, as well as his loco, at Princes Dock MDHB shed. Today I can count the brick courses and estimate some more dimensions in the absence of a plan/drawing!

One of the dilemmas about modelling a specific location is deciding how much to compromise and be inspired by elements taken from other locations. This photo of the coaling stage and water tank at Huskisson Dock shed in 1957 is a good example of such a dilemma. It is not 'the right location" (Princes Dock Shed) but I like the very model worthy shed details at Huskisson.

Here is a video I made of the 2012 Gala.

Here is the real thing.

Bank Hall shed.

The last L&Y Pugs were withdraw in 1962 and BR ordered 20 of these Yorkshire Engine Co diesel shunters with Rolls Royce engines as replacements. Some of them were allocated to Bank Hall and used on dock traffic duties in Liverpool. Photographs of the diesels on the MDHB lines are not common, but they did feature in the background of a Liverpool Beat pop film (taken from the top of an open double deck bus travelling along the South Docks road). I bought this model knowing that the Overhead Railway was long gone by 1962 but wanting it even though it is not correct for my time period.

Alexandra Dock and the Overhead Railway filmed in 1901. The Victorian age continues at ground level while the 'modern image' elevated electric railway glides past overhead, avoiding the obvious congestion and chaos which lead to the promotion of the Overhead.

One of my 7mm Pugs waiting patiently for a layout to be built!

The L&Y pugs were an important element of the Liverpool dock scene, running along the MDHB 'main line' and under the Overhead Railway (while it lasted) when travelling between the major BR goods depots which were strung out along the landward side of the dock road. I never achieved my ambition of promoting a photographic steam charter with a Pug at Liverpool docks. But the then working preserved Pug did visit Southport/Steamport heritage shed, and it performed at Goole and Bristol docks. Here is the video I made of the photographic charter at ABP's Port of Goole:

Illustration of size of brick lettering on Liverpool Warehousing Co. Ltd. dockland warehouse (warehouse backscene?).