eldavo

A few pics of the real Redbridge as it is today (or at least 2011) to give folks a flavour. This is the view from the station footbridge looking East towards Milbrook and Southampton. The main running lines with the 3rd rail are clearly visible and the stationmaster's house is still in place although now a private residence. Coincidentally our club chairman used to lodge his dog with a dogsitter who lived in the stationmaster's house. The site of the sleeper works was to the right and is now a large storage area for import/export cars and vans. Looking the other way towards the West we can see the where the access to the yard meets the main line, the junction with the Romsey line (diverging to the right) and the main lines running across the causeway towards Totton and onwards to Bournemouth. The remains of the road access to the yard can be seen crossing the lines behind the speed restriction board. Originally there was a signal box alongside this access approximately where the blue container is sited. In the view below, again looking East, can be seen the lines behind the down platform that connect in the distance with the 3 "Elephant" sidings. These sidings now connect with Southampton Maritime container terminal which is just visible in the far distance in the first photo. On the righthand line can be seen the remains of a turnout giving access to the sleeper works. Some of the original wharf area has been made into a public park accessed by way of the railway footbridge which means you can get down to the waterside. Here's the view looking East down Southampton water towards the container terminal. The pilings in the water are close to the position of the original log pond where large pieces of timber were seasoned. As large areas of land have been recovered the shape of the shoreline here has changed numerous times but the line of the wharf is still much as it has been for over a century. Looking in the other direction we can see the causeway, with its two low bridges, carrying the main line over the mouth of the river test with the road bridges behind it. Cheers Dave

Thanks Russ. All suggestions welcomed and that adds yet more to the variety of workings. Cheers Dave

Morning All, That's it then I'm not going out playing golf this morning! Nothing to do with lightning though it's just that it is absolutely hissing it down in these parts. Looks like I'll have to waste time on the forums then. Seems to suit the puppy though as he is currently curled up asleep on my feet. Makes getting anything done a little tricky. Looks like two deservedly chuffed chaps stood in front of a railbus in the photo. Have a good one all. Cheers Dave

The main elements of the layout would include some or all of the following: 1. A representation of Redbridge station. - Two short platforms - Level crossing - Signal box 2. The junction of the Bournemouth and Romsey lines - The protoype has a tight curve and currently uses a switched diamond 3. A section of the Solent/River Test - Mudflats - Salt marshes - Bridge/causeway under the Bournemouth line 4. The sleeper works. - The wharf alongside the Test where boats and tugs bring timber to the site. - The Timber Pond where wood would be left to season. - The creosote pressure vessels with narrow gauge track and wagons. - The Furnace where chairs etc were cast. - The various stores and buildings. - The component recovery siding/area. - Large gantry cranes and smaller and “odd†equipment to stock sleepers. - Weld test equipment. - Layout areas where point formations were prefabricated (perfect for the efforts of new track/point building members that don’t meet the required running standards) A feature of the model would be the “through†mainline trackwork that would include 3rd rail electric equipment. This trackwork would probably most appropriately be constructed using flat bottom rail whilst all other areas would be bullhead. Much of the track in the works area is likely to be inset or roughly ash ballasted and could reasonably be built cheaply and easily using copperclad sleepers and solder construction. Mainline trackwork and the sidings track linkages from the main to the works would best be constructed using chair components. The layout can be wired for the use of either conventional DC or DCC control though it is not proposed to use both at the same time in order to avoid any sudden emissions of magic smoke from locos or controllers. For testing purposes in the clubrooms it is proposed that some very basic cassette-based fiddleyards are constructed. These could also be used for initial exhibition attendances. Over time these cassettes would be replaced with a large stock yard style fiddleyard in a roundy-roundy configuration. Such a roundy-roundy fiddleyard set up would permit far more intensive operations with less stock handling. This format would also lend itself to investigating semi or fully automated operation of the mainline and Romsey branch. Operational interest A key feature of the Redbridge location is the variety of traffic that has and still does pass through. Passenger includes: · Express and semi fast –Waterloo to Bournemouth and Weymouth (including the Bournemouth Belle Pullman). · Stopping trains to and from Bournemouth · Eastleigh and Southampton to Romsey and Salisbury · Brighton and Portsmouth to Plymouth and Cardiff (via Romsey and Salisbury) · Brighton to Bournemouth Freight includes · Fawley Oil tankers · Marchwood - Armoured tanks and other military traffic · Wool – sand · Ballast from Eastleigh virtual quarry to all points West · Southampton Docks to Salisbury, the West, Bristol and Wales · Local traffic towards Bournemouth and Salisbury In addition to this through traffic the works generates a large range of traffic of it's own: IN · Timber · Pig iron · Coke · Creosote · Fuel oil · Rail · Old trackwork for component recovery OUT · Sleepers · Track componentry · Point formations · Welded rail (now there's a challenge!) · Scrap The list above covers a number eras and, assuming the mainline has 3rd rail, the earliest date that the layout could reasonably be run is around 1966/65 when the electrification was being added. The “juice†wasn't turned on until 1967. The site was in use until 1989 and with a stretch of imagination, and assuming closure was avoided, it could be run right up to the present day. Operational eras could include: 1967 The steam diesel transition where a large range of steam, green diesel and electric motive power could be used: · A large variety of ex SR types · Most BR standards (including 9F on the Fawley oil trains and van specials). · Ex LMS Class 5 on the Inter Regional passenger trains that were transferred from the S&D. · Ex GWR Hall and Grange types on the inter regional traffic. · Running –in turns from Eastleigh works · Hampshire DMU’s · Crompton (Type 33) diesels · Hymek/Warship · Works shunters – Steam: B4, O2, USA dock tank, steam cranes 1975 The “blue diesel†era: · CEPs, VEPs and first gen DMUs · Crompton (Type 33) diesels · Class 47 · Hymek/Warship · Works shunters – Diesel: 03, 04, 06, 08, steam cranes 1988 Later BR period: · CEPs, VEPs and DMUs in Network SouthEast and Regional Railways liveries · Class 33, 47 and other diesels in Large logo, RES and Railfreight liveries · Works shunters – Diesel: 03, 04, 06, 08 2000+ Contemporary: · Class 442, 444 & 450 in SouthWest Trains livery · Class 158, 159, 153 in First Great Western and several other liveries · Class 59, 60, 66, 67, 70 and 73 in EWS, Freightliner, GBrF · Works shunters – Diesel: 08 In addition to the standard traffic in recent times the line has seen regular steam specials and oddball loco convoys to and from the Swanage branch. Visual interest The scope for visual interest is immense. The proposal suggests the public view across a section of the River Test/Southampton Water as though they are looking from Marchwood. This puts the wharf as the centre point with the works behind and Redbridge station to the rear. Key elements are: · The wharf with a gantry crane, mobile steam/diesel cranes and numerous piles of timber and concrete sleepers and a barge. · The river itself with salt marshes, mudflats, water and the causeway to Bournemouth to the viewers left. · The timber pond (a frequent feature of US logging layouts but a novelty on a UK layout). · The foundry and associated buildings. · The high pressure creosote plant with narrow gauge feed tracks running into the pressure vessels. · The weld tester. · Point complexes being assembled in the yard. · Masses of oddball equipment and clutter! Cheers Dave

After much discussion the group decide to pursue a proposal to build a model based on the real location of the now demolished Redbridge Sleeper works. A working title for the project is “Redbridge Wharfâ€. The real location sits on the Northern shore of Southampton Water at the mouth of the river Test. There has been wharf in this location for several hundred years and the railways moved into the area in the late 1800s. Initially the railways used this area as a holding place for materials as the route developed West then moved to the manufacture of sleepers, bridge timbers and cast track components. In the final years the site was used for the assembly of long welded rail sections and the laying out of large pointwork complexes. Alongside the works is a small passenger station, exchange sidings and the junction of the Romsey and Bournemouth lines. The location offers great potential for an exhibition layout in terms of originality, variety of traffic movements and scenic elements. While we are aware of layouts that depict engineers yards we are not aware of any layout on the exhibition circuit depicting a location that manufactures sleepers, componentry and track sections. In addition to the numerous photographs covering all periods of time, the group have acquired: · OS Maps · Site Plans · Track Diagrams · Signalling Diagrams · Working Timetables · Access to the recollections of staff who worked at the depot Also, there is the very comprehensive book “Making Tracks†by Mr.Fairman that deals with all aspects of the depot from initial construction through to the closure in 1989. It contains many diagrams and photographs. The basic model would encompass a scenic section of around 16 feet with additional fiddleyards and approach curves fitted to the ends for exhibition use. The baseboards would be built as units approximately 4' x 2' 6†supporting the trackbed and scenic items and housing all electrical gubbins. It should be possible to construct these using lightweight techniques of “open top†plywood frames or foam core with ply cladding (a' la' Pempoul). The prototype location is quite deep from river frontage to station and thus to increase the effective depth of the model it was proposed to use additional daughter/extension boards that can be fitted to the front of the layout. These boards would not carry any track but would simply extend the scenic depth of the layout and thus could be built of lightweight materials. As it is proposed to operate the layout from the rear these extensions would not affect operation but would significantly improve the visual impression. Several concept sketches and trackplans were produce the following being one of them: In this sketch the pink areas are the main scenic baseboards, green are "daughter" or extension boards and the blue areas the return curves to the fiddleyard(s). To be continued...

Winchester Railway Modellers are a moderate sized club with around 30 active members with a wide range of interests. The club has a large 0 gauge layout (Abbotstone) which is currently on the exhibition circuit, an EM gauge layout (Mawgan Porth) in an advanced state of construction and a large 00 gauge layout (Itchen Vale). Originally it was the club's intention to exhibit the 00 layout but a number of the core team have been lost and in recent years construction work has largely stopped. With a recent influx of new members with an interest in 00 it was decided to reassess the situation and see how best to harness the enthusiasm and get the new team engaged. The existing layout though operational was experiencing some issues, major ones being some sagging/distortion of baseboards and concerns over the wiring. The group came to the conclusion that they could not realistically complete the existing layout to a standard suitable for exhibition though they were keen to keep it running. So what was to be done? As is the case for all modellers space was a concern. If we weren't going to remove the existing layout where would we build another one and how would we work on it and store it? Various options were discussed and we convinced ourselves we could shoehorn in another layout into the already crowded rooms although we would not be able to fully assemble it except at exhibitions or at external venues for special working sessions. So what did the group want from the new layout? The group had a meeting of all interested parties on the 9th February 2011 and several matters were agreed as a starting point for all proposals. 1. The layout should be attractive to exhibition managers in terms of its content and its size. 2. Track work and points (at least in the visible sections) should be code 75 or finer standards. 3. All members would be encouraged to participate and "building" items at the club room to share expertise will be "encouraged". 4. The "main" section would be erected in the OO room with the possibility of the fiddle yards being fitted for running sessions elsewhere or at exhibitions. 5. The layout should be usable with conventional DC or DCC control and if possible should allow the incorporation of new developments in the hobby, such as train detection and computer control, over time. 6. Ideally, the layout should incorporate provision for flexibility and expandability (scenic boards, fiddle yards, continuous runs) should more space become available. 7. The cost to club funds for manufacture should be possible over a reasonable construction period. 8. The "man hours" to produce (even if constructed in stages) should be available. 9. The ability to transport the layout at low cost (members cars) is highly desirable. From this starting point the group went off for several weeks and dug around for inspiration for a layout that would meet our requirements and hopefully be a bit different as well. A number of themes/ideas were put forward and further work done before then evaluating the options to decide on what should be built. To be continued...

Morning All, Sun seems to be shining. Things have been peaceful chez moi for a few weeks which is never a good sign. Yesterday all that changed when Archie the 10 week-old Bitsa arrived. He's bits of border terrier, bits of lakeland terrier, bits of cairn terrier and goodness knows what else! Going from a 35kg Lurcher to something small enough to hold in one hand is a bit of culture shock. Archie could quite easily go for a swim in Henry's old food bowl! Cheers Dave

Gordon definitely won the prize for hitting the ball the furthest. Shame we couldn't find it most of the time as it had headed off in the wrong direction! It in arf ot Mum. Cheers Dave

Morning All, Just had a clearing up shower but things are brightening. I ordered it 'cos I thought Gordon would want the golf course to look fresh and green. Better get and polish me golf bats so I don't get wupped too badly by the old bu**er. Have a good one all. Cheers Dave

It's simple Dd. Just swallow the tablet and all your problems will be sorted. You'll even be all nice and shiny on the inside when Mrs. Dd gets back. Have a good one all. Cheers Dave P.S. I tried to read the latest on the SQL error thread but I got an SQL error!

Morning All, Returned home last night after 5 days of stag "do" and wedding celebrations in deepest darkest Devon and Cornwall. So knackered I couldn't be bothered to turn out for a game of golf this morning. Just as well anyway as I seem to have knackered something in my left foot surfing. That's the water type rather than the sat in the chair in front of a screen type. A day pootling about at home is planned. Need to get my energy levels back up as I have to play Gordon at golf later this week! Have a good (or as good as can be managed) one all Cheers Dave

Morning All, The sun appears to be shining! Cracking pics chaps. All the birds in our garden seem to treat the arrival of a camera much the same as the arrival of a Sparrowhawk. Never managed to get a decent pic. Off for a 3-day stag "do" prior to my mates wedding on Saturday. This seems to involve go-karting, surfing and the obligatory eating and drinking too much. As it is the bride's intention to walk across the beach from her accomodation to the ceremony at Bude castle I think we can probably expect torrential rain. I do hope she has checked the tide times! Have a good one all. Cheers Dave

Happy Burpday Gordon. Nearly eligible for the pension book holder. I see ERs is still as productive as ever. I take a 3 day trip to Rome and come back and find another 8 pages of deeply meaningful discussion. Have a good one all. Cheers Dave

Morning All, Full(ish) set of oktas in place but not currently leaking. Today the schedule says cut the lawn, collect a van, stuff trainset into van, drive to Burton on Trent, unstuff van and drink beer. Have a good hols Tony. What you do with your wife Pete is entirely your business! Have a good one all. Cheers Dave

Morning All, 'Tis hump day again for those that have to worry about these things. Bit of playing trains, bit of golf and more playing trains is the order of the day for me. Tough job but someone has to do it. Tommorrow I'm off to the golf course again but this time it is to caddy for the Octegenarians annual competition. Not sure whether I have to carry the clubs or the player! If I'm still able to play golf at 80 something like some of these oldies I'll be very happy. Nice bit of line painting Dave. Must have been bloomin' annoying that some fool left a train in the way. Have a good one all. Absolutely no need of a trip to the hospital in this case then. Cheers Dave

Grey/Brown ballast is so old-school don't you think? Prep work for DEMU Showcase in Burton on Trent this coming weekend has involved giving operators some clues as to how to drive the fiddleyards. Hence the rather colourful paintwork. It's part of a colour-coding scheme to try and help folks differentiate between the different areas/uses for the fiddleyard and to ease finding the right road. With 15 parallel(ish) tracks and no markings it was a bit of a challenge. The control panel now has graphics (of a sort) that match the colours. The 4 green roads on the left represent Derby, the blue area holds trains that only travel Westwards from Leicester towards Birmingham/Walsall, the red area holds passenger multiple units that can go anywhere East or West (in theory) while the yellow area on the extreme right holds 3 trains that only travel Eastwards from Birmingham towards Leicester. There are one or two little features that don't quite fit the simple model just to cause a challenge or two. The righthand green line can only be used in a Westbound direction so usually holds a freight of some kind while the righthand blue line is used to receive trains travelling to Walsall which have to traverse part of the Eastbound (yellow) area and part of the shared (red) area. Simple innit? Hopefully this will help folks to get a grip quickly as I am short of operators and will have to impose on the goodwill of show organisers etc. to "spell" me this coming Sunday. Cheers Dave

Roll up, roll up. Come and inhale deeply of the waffle/reasoned discussion of Early Rizlas. Take a tip from me you may want to filter quite a lot out but sometimes you have to take it full strength. Tar very much. Cheers Dave

Stunning! Cheers Dave

Waton is due out next weekend at the DEMU Showcase in Burton on Trent so is currently being tweaked, fiddled with and generally sorted. One thing that hasn't got sorted is an operating crew! Due to work committments and the long bank holiday weekend some of my usual motley crew are unable to help. I have one operator assisting on Saturday but no help on the Sunday. If anyone fancies playing trains on the Sunday (3rd) or both days feel free to PM me. Cheers Dave (Slightly worried of Winchester)

Morning All, Seems like plenty of stress in folks lives. I think you are taking the right course Gordon. I know what it's like to send a dog back when it won't fit in with the new surroundings. Very tough but sometimes it is the only way. The young lurcher we had for a few weeks nearly drove us mad. Lovely dog but absolutely barking mad. Dreadful to see the look on it's face when we took it back to the rescue centre but o my the relief and sense of calm at home! Not much stress here. The domestics have just set off for 4 days in Carlisle so I have the place to myself unless some lost offspring turns up. Bit of playing trains is on the cards for today, a shed day tomorrow, golf on Saturday and Railex in Aylesbury on Sunday. It's a tough life. Have a good one all. Cheers Dave (Argh!!!!! SQL errors)

Morning All, It's sunny! Survived the dentist yesterday but today I find I have a tooth that really doesn't like being touched. It was better before he put the permanent fillings in! No pork scratchings for a while then. I'm another one of the generation that did both woodwork and metalwork. The skills I "learned" are not highly evident in my current creations but I do remember the cross halving joint teapot stand project. I was building a steam engine for my metalwork O level project but never did get the boiler completed. The cylinder assembly is no doubt somewhere in my boxes of bits in the garage. Have a good one all. I think a session of white ball chasing may be in order. Cheers Dave

Morning (correction) Afternoon All, There's something very odd occurring in these parts. There seems to be evidence of blue skies! What happened to all that nice grey we have had for weeks? Hope you feel better soon Debs. Luckily my knackered tooth seems to have settled down after the Dentist did some serious excavation last week. Just in time for him to have another go at it tomorrow morning. Have a good one all. Cheers Dave

Mawin Awl. Sowwy I mean Afernoon Awl. Face numb after dentist's ministrations. He had to shoot in a couple of syringes worth as he couldn't deaden the bloomin' thing. Gotta go back in a week as he couldn't stop the tooth bleeding after digging out the nerves. Lovely NOT! Hopefully at least the pain will have gone once everything settles down but I suspect it may be somewhat uncomfortable in a couple of hours times. May have to use some liquid red pain killer. They obviously play more imaginative party games in your neck of the woods DD. I'll keep mine where they belong thanks. Have a good one all. Cheers Dave

Afternoon All, Not been posting much recently which is just as well as RMweb reliability seems a bit hit and miss for me currently. Just encountered the dreaded SQL errors trying to page forward in ERs! The rain passed through here some time ago starting just after I began a game of golf and ending quite soon after I finished. Who'd a guessed it! I can only drink red wine or best bitter at cellar temperature at present as I have an infection in the root of a tooth which kicks off seriously if I go near anything hot or cold. The joys of root canal fillings are to be "enjoyed" tomorrow which should hopefully sort it out. These bad teeth must be catching on ERs! Have a good one all. Cheers Dave

A few more gratuitous photos. These are all "spares" from the BRM June edition shoot. A Voyager passes Westbound through Waton platform 1. Empty and full GBrF coal trains passing. EWS seem to be repositioning some of their loco stock! A long view of the station looking from the West. The driver of a vintage Morris Minor van struggles to find anyone to ask for directions. Oliver Cromwell hauls a steam special en route to Birminghan New Street holding up the freight workings. Cheers Dave