Stephenwolsten

John Gahan's book portrays the railways along and over Liverpool's 'dock road' in a very evocative style. I was fortunate to record an extensive video interview with him in Liverpool before he died. His memory was as sharp as ever and his passion for the Overhead Railway very obvious.

I have tracked down articles covering Jack Nelson's diorama of Atlantic Dock Junction (and others) in Model Railways Magazine, November and December 1972. How time flies!

Given that railway images by people like Colin Gifford and Ian Krause have always been 'social documentary' shots - and are even more so with the passage of time - I am disappointed that they have not been displayed in mainstream photographic galleries. Railway photography in the UK still inhabits a separate world from 'art'. Colin Gifford's stamps are perhaps an exception.

I've learn't quite a bit about lightweight construction, backscenes and lighting by studying Gordon Gravett's 7mm Arun Quay layout. Am I alone in spending more time looking underneath and behind layouts, rather than the front of them?!

Yes, and I've always been interested in this location ever since the Jack Nelson diorama featured in a railway magazine. Some pictures on this earlier thread:

This picture illustrates the track formation on the Overhead Railway. It also shows the early use of colour light signalling.

Why call the proposed layout Atlantic Dock? You will find an Atlantic Dock Junction on old railway maps but no Atlantic Dock. This is because a Liverpool Dock was called Atlantic Dock during its construction The dock was built by George Fosbery Lyster between 1874-82. During its construction, the dock was known briefly as Atlantic Dock for about a year. However, the dock was then officially named Alexandra Dock when opened in 1881 and was named in honour of Queen Alexandra. I could call the layout 'Princes Dock' as this is the main area inspiring it. But it won't be an exact copy. 'Riverside' would be a suitably generic title but would be confused with the former MDHB Riverside Station nearby. So 'Atlantic Dock' sounds authentic, has not been used before, and reflects the Port of Liverpool's position and the strong North American influence on the city.

One of the things I have at last realised is that new techniques and technology now make it much easier to start my first (and last) layout. My early days were in the era of heavy 2x1 baseboards with chipboard, Sundalea or ply, heavy lighting systems, and all the problems of electrical wiring and achieving smooth running. I now realise that baseboards can be made very light, LED lights have transformed illumination, and battery powered locos with radio control from an iPhone eliminate all the problems of dirty track, wiring faults and jerky running. I have done some research/Googling but does anyone please have any advice or recommendations about using LED light strips on a layout eg positioning, illumination, need for reflective surface etc? And if I have only a few permanently coupled locos/short trains, can I skip DCC and go straight for radio control and battery power?

Two of my favourite Liverpool images.

Riverside Station MDHB.

Dock road wall, signal, overhead structures and entrance to Riverside Branch at Waterloo Goods/corn warehouse. Please see 16 July 2019 post for a 1967 view.

Princes Dock area. The transit shed would make a good 'view blocker' at the edge of a layout.

Old tyres used as fenders, Birkenhead docks.

MDHB Riverside Branch with LNWR tanks from Edge Hill.

Dockside detail including entrance to dry dock, quay walls, lamp post, and mooring bollards.

A coaling stage and water tank made for modelling!

Finding decent 7mm scale road vehicles is often a problem. This link shows some interesting lorries suitable for a 1950s dock layout. Does anyone have any experience of these models or similar ones please? https://www.shapeways.com/shops/1.43transportmodels?page[number]=1&page[limit]=48&page[order]=asc