splodgestudios

Here’s a rough illustration to put my view across, I will probably do another in future this is just a base line thought. I appreciate all the comments! These are wonderful tips and a great analysis of Arun Quay. I too plan to use many of it’s techniques to ‘sell’ the scene. The left hand view features angled buildings, the water line towards the back and a lower wooden ‘deck’/quay (?) (similar in part to Malliag). Approaching the backscene with a minimalist approach allowing the ‘downstage’ and ‘center stage’ to capture most of the focus. With that many micro scenes of dock workers a vehicles will too, capture attention keeping eyes downstage. The right hand quay end is very much the same although featuring the water both in the back and foreground. A distinctive lighthouse will act as a scenic break. The quay end will feature a small rail crane in use doing repair work. While most of the shunting happens parallel to it. As mentioned by Johnster, ‘Arun Quay’ sells its scene through many techniques including many fine details including bollards, equipment, etc I plan very much the same (modelU will have one hell of an order when I’m ready) When it comes to operation I plan two main modes of shunting, I know they are not exactly realistic but at the same time not too far off. (Again to note the plan is to have this layout operate both with and without the use of fiddlesticks/cassettes.) 1. An engine pulls a train from left to right. Using the kickbacks to shunt the three lines. When a train is ‘complete’ the loco can push the wagons off the layout onto a cassette (an off stage where you can imagine any mode of switching the train is present). Again this also works without the cassette and can act just as a wagon sorting puzzle. This can also be accomplished as Keith mentioned with two locomotives operating, one to the left taking away wagons and the other shunting. This would require a cassette. 2. An engine pushes a train of wagons using what were the kickbacks to shunt. This would need a cassette to operate. I also enjoy the idea put forth by Keith to use fiddlesticks as a way to have the engine runaround the train. All this said, the use of a few cassettes/fiddlesticks will add greatly to the operational capabilities of the layout. It’s just now a matter of nailing which points would make most use in this context. I am currently thinking of a Peco 3-way on the centre line diverging left, and a small-medium radius point on the lower line connecting the lower kickback. Again thank you for all the kind comments, I am exciting to progress with this project.

Hi All, hoping your doing well. I've posted varied concepts to this forum before, unfortunately none have ever come to fruition due to a number of reasons (turbulent living situations, and lack of funds mainly) That spark to build something I can be proud of has never gone away, the modelling itch has been eating at me like nothing else. I'm thankful for the path I've taken, the time away has given me time to think. Even more thankful to have a place I can call my own with room for something I can operate. To say a little about myself, I'm currently in school studying and practicing film. Seeing as my goal is to be a director I like to think I have a decent eye for capturing a scene. I find this key when creating a layout, although what I aim to create may fall closer to operable diorama. Now in terms of modelling interest, I adore realistic interpretations of the Railway Series, as penned by the great Rev. W. Awdry. That is what captured my interest in the hobby, and continues to do so today. It too means I'm not locked down to anything other than loose descriptions of locals with a lot of history. Subject to that, I find the Ffarquhar Branch ripe for interpretation and a lot of wiggle room for what I can create and run. Now with all that babble over I'll go into the layout plan; I start with a few key necessities for the layout; - Must be no larger than 4ft x 18in and operable within that - Must have precise viewing angles (This is necessary to 'sell' the scene) - Must be an operable Shunting puzzle A few wants that are not entirely necessary but otherwise important to me are as such - Both locomotives large and small must fit and operate on the layout (The largest of my collection being a Bachmann 24, the smallest being Rapidos J70) - Possibility of Extension when space and time are available With these parameters I found the small Knapford Harbour to be an excellent muse to model. Not much is actually said on the layout of the harbour, so I've researched and found musings with both Malliag and Whitehaven Harbour. Both will be valuable references to pull from. What I have come up doesn't really seem to be found online, at least in my research. The best way I could describe it is a 'Reverse Inglenook' See below, not to complete scale in terms of depth. (and I apologize for the poor quality, I am currently using a Mac and do not have access to anyrails). The only comparable I can make is O gauge layout 'Arun Quay' which employs excellent techniques for depth and perspective. (one square representing one square ft) Two kick backs allow some maneuvering and interesting operation, while the rest of the plan is rather self contained. A facia will separate the left and right scenes; representing two areas of a longer quay, Buildings will aid in disguising the scenic break and keeping the scenes separated. This takes out the traditional fiddle yard and instead has the entire layout be on display. A fiddle yard of some kind would be built in future, especially for use at Exhibitions although realistically in southern Ontario there is only 1 or 2 I could reasonably attend each year. Stock would mainly be kit built wagons, representing a mix of stone, fish and general traffic. All would be fitted with S&P couplings for 'easy' operation. And of course Locos would comprise of DCC control. Some photo references; I will follow up with further drawings to better illustrate the plans for depth. Comments and Suggestions are not just welcomed but encouraged.

Gorgeous work! Based on any prototypes? Seems similar to that used at Whitehaven although I need to do some more research on the sort.

Hi All, I’d like to thank everyone for sharing! I’m still looking for references so please share away! Everything has been good but not an exact match, Knapford is of course fictional so I’m not expecting one. Just to summarise what this thread has helped me narrow down; Knapford is a tidal harbour, situated at the mouth of a sluiced river Ramsey and Newhaven are the closest from what I’ve seen so far. Porthmadog is also close, but the estuary throws things off slightly, although perhaps that’s more realistic for a sluiced harbour?

I think you’re on the money here! Another paragraph says such; “But Knapford harbour proved a disappointment. It needed constant dredging and by 1905 the cost had become prohibitive.”

Thank you for the reply! Its to my understanding that knapford might be a tidal or a drying harbour - the mentioned tidal gates are at the river mouth here is an excerpt from Awdrys writings “During the 1880s the Ulfstead Mining Company became interested in the minerals (lead mostly) waiting to be found on the higher ground east of the marsh; but without a firm footing they could not be either extracted or transported away. Accord- ingly they called in A. W. Dry & Co who had experience of working on drainage problems in East Anglia. A. W. Dry built embankments across the flats north and south of the river (along which the main line of railway now runs), and installed tide gates. The river was then embanked along its south eastern side, but the opposite bank was left open to provide a flood-pool for the normal river flow which could be drained off every day at low tide. It thus remained a marsh where the Elsbridge fenmen could carry on their activities as before, and since this, fortunately, was the side of the river they preferred, they offered little opposition to A. W. Dry's drainage operations on the east. This explains why, on the map, the area west of the river is shown bare, in contrast to the development indicated on the eastern side.” The mentioning of draining into the harbour at low tide, to me at least, greatly implies that it’s not a lock, although I don’t think it rules out drying or tidal. The kind of shipping vessels Knapford sees isn’t directly stated. The major export would be stone from the branches quarry. Being Knapford is a supplement to Tidmouth, I think the implication is that seafaring barges could be used instead of large ships. If only barges and smaller vessels are used suppose that leans towards a drying harbour? Although I’m not sure, I don’t claim to be an expert at all!

Hi all, Apologies if this isn’t the right forum for this, might be better suited for prototype questions, anyways. I’m currently working on a layout of Knapford Harbour from the Rev. W. Awdrys writings. I understand it’s a tidal harbour but I’m having a hard time finding examples that match. Here’s a map, each square roughly 5 miles Writings and illustrations imply that the southern quay ends in a rail serviced jetty, although later illustrations show it to have changed. A little on knapford for context; The area was established in the late 1800’s after tidal gates and embankments made it possible to inhabit the area, the harbour has always been rail served. It’s otherwise a sleepy dock and railway town with the main line and branchline crossing over. The line that serves the harbour is implied to be tramway like, similar to Yarmouth and Weymouth although it sees very little in passenger traffic. The harbour after several years of disuse, mainly due to the larger Tidmouth Harbour, received a major renovation in 1955 to act as support for Tidmouth. Anything similar is welcome to be shared and is greatly appreciated!

Hi all! I’ve come to realise many don’t know about the Rev. W. Awdry, and his extensive writings. Or those who do, only know about the surface of them. This post will be an introduction, explaining the writings, and my additions. The Railway Series, which you probably know as the books that were later adapted into Thomas The Tank Engine. Awdry, started the stories for his bed-sick son and they developed into his own world with rich history. If you’re interested I can recommend The Island Of Sodor; It’s People, History and Railways (IOS) Its scarce in terms of physical copies but digitals exist (although I don’t know this sites sharing policies). There is also The Real Lives Of Thomas The Tank Engine (try saying that 10 times fast), which has information from the IOS, and I believe some other pertinent sources. The site shows its age but is gold and it’s clear much care went into it. Finally there’s a proper timeline video made by a fellow fan which is excellently done linked here: However I’ll give you, my dear reader, a brief breakdown; The Island Of Sodor, situated between Barrow and Mann, is home to North Western Region of British Railways. This formerly was the North Western Railway (NWR) which formed from several smaller constituents. Its rail network boasts 80* engines, and the resource rich island warrants this number. Sudrians (as the inhabitants are called) are independent folk who value their railways and don’t much believe in replacing things that are still in good use. Although the mainline sees much action, depending on who you ask the most important part of the railway is the Ffarquhar Branch. Situated on the west of the island, it climbs up from Knapford, and terminates to the quarries at Ffarquhar. The stone is valuable traffic for the line, although the farmers, dairy, and harbour form a rather busy line. Not to mention the passenger traffic, 7 trains both ways daily. Awdry wrote much about the branch, and in due time more will be shared, this is just a appetiser for what will probably be a series of posts in this blog. To me it’s one of the most interesting and charming locations created, hence my choice in modelling. I hope you have found this post interesting, I quite like fake but realistic history

Thank you! Both provide a lot of running interest. I have a large variety of stock planned, there’s the stone from the FQC, imported coal, fish, the workman’s trains, brakevan specials, and of course local traffic. All in all I don’t think I’ll see myself getting bored of either, but that’s a point I didn’t think of and worth mulling over. The layouts are planned with operation from both sides in mind. I have a few exhibitions to present at but most of time it will be backed against a wall. Removable facias depending on use case. This is a problem with The Quays and may warrant a redesign but I’m not sure, the plans are flexible and subject to change. Thinking out loud is usually the best way! An external traverser isn’t really an easy possibility. I’m trying to keep them as small as possible for easy transport. May play with the plans further will keep you updated!

Really do have to thank you for your posts they’re a fantastic read. I can’t agree more, although I’m a bit of a hoarder don’t know if I could ever bare to part with something I put love into but maybe things change with time!

Hi all! Knapford is a can of worms I’ve chosen as my first step into layout building. This post will be a recap of my thinking so far, and look into what’s to come. Knapfords track plan was never explained in detail by the Reverend although he did write in detail about some of the changes that it did undergo throughout the years. A full post about that will be made in future and will be linked here: What is known is that Knapford has a junction station just NORTH of the River Els, with the Ffarquhar branch connection on the right and mainline on the left. Both branch and main cross over the river south. The Harbour line, which connects back to the branch at Toryreck, runs along side the river mouth beneath the branch and mainline bridges. Now this is a beast in itself to model, especially when considering operation and space. Wisely, for my own sanity, I’m choosing not to have an operational mainline, and the mainline will really be solemn shown at all. I’ve juggled some over complicated ideas like the one below. When all I want is a “small” layout that gives some mixed operational ability why over complicate things? I’m lucky I found The Farthing Layouts when I did, I wasn’t exactly happy with the monstrosity but I was seriously considering building it. The articles mentioned changed my thinking in terms of layout building. I’ve since developed two layout ideas that scratch the atmospheric and theatrical itch. Above is what I call “Between The Bridges”. This depicts the east of the harbour sidings, between the mainline (left) and branchline (right) my goal is to frame it in such a way that the onlooker is forced down making everything appear much larger - see sketch above (not completely accurate but gets a general idea across). Its somewhat simple but functional, the bottom kickback isnt set in stone. This and the next both work as shunting puzzels. The Quays, depict just further down the harbour, west of the mainline bridge. A goods station and crane are the main features with the line going over the river and into a good shed with hidden sidings for wagon switching - Although I am not as happy with this one as the river is cut thinner, and the goods shed (red area) is never actually depicted Its strictly from my mind to build the scene. The river being so small is also disapointing to me but a necessity to make the scene work as intended. Despite that, there’s some interesting theatrics that would be needed to make this all work but I feel it could be rather interesting. Will most likely play with the design. Both appeal to me but only one will be built as they are functionally the same, I do like the simplicity of “Between The Bridges” also allows some easier construction. Any ideas are welcome!

Hi All! If you have seen any of my previous threads where the foundations of my current musings began, welcome to something that will hopefully more organized and updated consistently. If you aren't familiar with the Ffarquhar branch, you're in for a treat. It was originally created by the Rev. W. Awdry, yes the author of The Railway Series, which for those who don't know has a large and storied lore behind it - far beyond just the trains with faces aspect. It is all fiction, but the detailed and storied "history" would have you believe otherwise, and since I was a child those aspects have captured my interest greatly. A full history of the Ffarquhar Branch will be put into a post soon. So my choice for modelling, it being fictitious allows for what I call loose modelling, time and place set but a kind of openness that doesn't force accuracy in location or stock. Now I'm sure you are wondering what the title of this blog has to do with anything I just mentioned. I like many modelers, am very limited on space, this isn't good with someone who wants to create large operable layouts with diverse traffic. My working space is really only 6x2 at most, so only so much to work with. I juggled over complicated designs, or designs that sacrificed more than I was comfortable with. I browse these forums frequently and eventually came across a fantastic blog, The Farthing Layouts I wish I found it sooner, but damn has it transformed my thinking when it comes to layout design. I won't waste time rewording everything said in the blog as I recommend reading it yourself, but in short the concept comes down to taking what could be a large station and narrowing it down to separate parts. Taking an elephant and breaking it into bite sized pieces My current idea for a first bite is a model of Knapford, which may take multiple different layouts to capture its scope. The plan is to slowly build up a collection of independent small-micro layouts that can act independently but connected by location and stock. Again very inspired by The Farthing Layouts. Finally heres a map of the Ffarquhar Branch Watch This Space.

Hi all, here’s an updated and detailed Knapford plan. The fiddle yards are somewhat complicated so they may get some tweaking in future. Any ideas are welcome! (over line will be 3-4 inches above the lower) Tried to make it as compact as possible. The sector plates fit decent sized trains, have measured and all are under 1 1/2ft, some smaller. I am considering cassettes as an alternative to the sector plates.

Fantastic article with plenty to look though, thank you for sharing! The picture was slightly off from my original intended question, which was more oriented towards inner dock workings and standard gauge locomotives.

Hi all, I’m working on a fictitious dockside layout, despite that I like taking inspiration from realistic practice. I’ve see photos like the following (credit to NevardMedia) of locomotives using bollards to move wagons, which led me down the rabbit hole of wondering if this could be extended to barges. I ended up having this photo sent by a friend, unsure of its origin. Were locomotives towing barges common practice when tugboats weren’t available? If so are any examples documented or photographed?