Earlswood Station (previously Ember Brewery)

[Nathaniel]

Layout has now been dismantled and kept as much as I could. Here are a couple pictures of what the layout will be built up as new. A little change has been made from the original plan, with the brewery not being directly accessed to a siding. The new idea is to have it to the right hand side, along with one of the houses as an out building office. This area would be raised, with buffers against the walls to maximise space. At the back will have a station platform and at the front where the old brewery platform is positioned, a loading dock, which can be accessed directly by the brewery, while at the same time can deal with general goods. Siding to the left for coal, and beyond that, to hide the entrance to the layout I could either have a pub, road crossing the line and a low relief house hidden by trees or go for a tunnel entrance.

 

Edited October 26, 2021 by Nathaniel
edit

[Nathaniel]

I would really appreciate assistance on ballast choices, as I unsure what ballast colours are typically used between the Midlands and the north of England. This had been my original plan, but the previous Ballast I used I realise is more common to Scotland. Also what scatter could I use for road surfaces, instead of cobblestones and modern road surfaces.

 

Realised today I need to come up with a new name for the layout.

[bazzer42]

The Legacy ballast I used to seemed to have names for "eras style", being after something relatively modern I didn't take much notice of whether the others were regional.  Might be worth a look and I will be interested to hear responses on surface covering as it's one job I'm putting off!

[Nathaniel]

Thank you bazzer42, had a look at those, the brown blend seems to be most suitable for my layout, being a lightly travelled fictional line, maybe with small areas of the darker blend where the loco often stops, to help maybe with weathering those kinds of areas.

 

From the Jarvis range have seen they do a JS30 Sand scatter, this I think could be use for the surfaces round the brewery to its access point and also the lower part of the main yard and as the surface for the platform, with dressed stone at the front of the platform. Thinking I'll also only make the platform only go half way up, 1- as a reasonable excuse to use the step plates for the 4 wheel coaches I have, and 2- I am taking an educated guess that many small railway lines, before the big four and if freelance lines were more common thereafter, that the lines would be looking to save on costs, thus not build a normal platform at the typically thought of height.

[Nathaniel]

Here are some photos showing the recent progress.

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2021 by Nathaniel
old photos removed

[Nathaniel]

A new update.

Ballast really went down well this time compared to my previous attempts, same as the sand used for the station. In the Brewery yard the sand did not go down well at first, removed the sand and covered the area in pva glue, allowed that to dry then layered another coat of pva glue and covered that with sand. The coal area is the same sand, however treated with paints to give a different appearance. Before placing the pile of coal, had weathered it  to match the ballast weathering in the area and to give the impression the coal pile can be sometimes larger. In this regard, I have gone out with the typically modelled staithes for the more typical pile of coal. Have some sacks to place in the area too just need a nice little hut for the coal merchant.

Ballast is from Legacy Ballast

Sand is from Busch

Coal is from Woodlands Scenics

 

I my photos you'll see some clumps of Static grass in straw colour, these are from Tajima1 and being used to uncouple. Looks like I will only need the one on the station, as gives lots of room on each side of it. Also been making some bushes which you might see in the far right corner, formed from lichen sprayed with hairspray and coated in some loose foliage. If I remember rightly, the foliage is from Woodlands Scenics.  Have got some more lichen in brown to use, and took this idea from a BRM issue.

[Nathaniel]

Been laying down some greenery over the past couple days and brought out a few bits and bobs from the old layout to be reused.

 

[Nathaniel]

Thank you for all the likes, it really means a lot to me Especially as am not much of a socially active person. Hope you are all very well too.

[Nathaniel]

Hi all, Happy new year everyone. Been tinkering on the layout again, namely wiring up the lights in the buildings, and using my new gluegun some more. Have also painted the cardboard I used to protect the foam formers for the loading dock and the yard, while I also worked on 3 trees. Also spent a bit of time finding the best locations for the static grass to aid in uncoupling. As the height of them sometimes do not push the older Hornby type tension couplers, have put a small bit of plastic onto the self adhesive making sure that most of the self adhesive is still available and placed them on the track.

 

Firstly, pulled out the tree I had fitted in place with an idea to spray it with hairspray and coat it in scatter material. This really worked well and to build it up and to cover as much of the plastic shininess underneath sprayed it again and applied another coat of scatter. Did this again for two more trees and planted them into the scene.

 

The water crane is not yet finished, same as the two buffers seen on the loading dock, also need fitting still. With the buffers, going to make a supporting frame out of sleepers up against the wall that backs on to the street/yard. 

 

Also below playing around with filters on my phone after taking some photos. Have also got a tripod coming soon as my hands are generally shaky so hoping to get a video made soon, editing out hand of god for the points.

[The Bandit]

Love the black and white shots. So much more atmospheric than colour.

[Nathaniel]

A new addition arrived and have repainted it. Is a Smokey Joe R3064, runs surprisingly well at slow speeds.

 

Been giving some consideration to the stations name, and have fallen on naming it Earlswood. In light of this, naming after a village (In the Midlands) where my family is from , I have done some research finding out that the nearby line is the North Warwickshire Line, which was originally independently put forward. However it became taken over by GWR. This has created the idea that my Earlswood station sits north of the lakes, which would be from the view of the layout is behind the viewer. The imaginary freelance company line would go of to the west over the North Warwickshire Line, however it does also have a junction accessible from Earlswood. Thinking that the connection provides allowances of services to Birmingham, or to Stratford-upon-Avon if connected in the other direction.  

Edited January 7, 2022 by Nathaniel
correct spelling mistake

[BroadLeaves]

I like that one of the wagons you have on a shunting layout is from a company called

Thom A Shunter Ltd

even if the spacing and capitalisation on the actual wagon isn't quite like that...

[Nathaniel]

Thank you all.

 

Another update, with a home signal in place just behind the Signal Box. Also some more greenery in place. Have also applied some new coat of paint to two of my figures from the previous layout, and also painted the coal sacks, including the one being carried. Coal sacks are from Peco. Cannot remember the source of the two coal workers.

[Nathaniel]

Have purchased some weathering powders and been getting used to using them. In the process of doing so made a scratch built low relief building and placed it behind the signal box with a chimney stack. Is built from Metfcalfe red brick sheets, with cardboard layers forming the building and the chimney stack core uses a cardboard inner from a roll of kitchen towels, cut in half and down in size.

[TechnicArrow]

Neat little  building! The "plain" face works very well, especially with your weathering. I love how it's nestling back into the trees, it looks like it's shying away from the railway - excellent!

[luke the train spotter]

Looks excellent! The weathering really brings it to life. 

[Nathaniel]

Hello all, been having fun with both my layouts and recently weathered some of the rolling stock for Earlswood Station. The brake an looks so awesome now instead of looking like plastic. All the weathering powder I have is DCC concepts mid grey, black, yellow clay and red dust. Have recently found if I mix different colours on the paper I use to tap on to remove excess powder and reuse, I can get slightly different shades of the grey and clay. 

[Nathaniel]

Hello all, I hope you are all well. I will be trying to locate previously posted photos if you all like. Anyhow, today's post is an update of the layout with newest photos.

 

Some rabbits purchased painted and glued in place. One of the horses has been repainted and weathered more of my rolling stock. 

[Nathaniel]

Another picture of the two pug's one completely repainted from a black be version. The other being a smokey Joey has had a touch up in paint with details also painted. In the same picture even I am struggling to see where the background starts and the foliage and trees modelled began and end. I was not expecting this, knowing my own skill levels.

[Nathaniel]

Hello all, hope you are all well.

 

A quick update today after weathering all 3 lock's that current get used. ( The true pug is currently resting as does not have enough clearances for many of the grass Tufts that act to decouple.) Also recent purchased a lovely Hornby collet brake allowing me to create a GWR passenger service from Earlswood to Stratford-upon-Avon. I also on opening the collect from the packaging found this is a perfect fit for the purpose being a Birmingham division coach. 

 

Below number 8751 has just arrived with some passengers and offloading some post from Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham.

[Nathaniel]

Doing a little short running session today, found that I can have one train waiting to leave while another arrives. This is only doable with the point accessing the loading dock running into the dock, so even if it is a passenger or goods train it needs to push forward, have the point switched over and pull a little in before running round. Only had it running in with a goods train so far, but can see how this might make sense for the lines two coaches and maybe, maybe the visiting GWR passenger coach.

[Nathaniel]

Here is my first attempt of making a video of some of the operations of the layout. New to video editing and just noticed while typing this message up that there is still some hand of God moments. Note:  all the grass Tufts for popping up the uncouplers have been removed for various reasons including they come loose, prevented me from using the smallest locomotive I have, and causes frustration with some rolling stock either derailing or just uncoupling even under full tension (yes I am looking at you two 4 wheeled coaches).

 

[luke the train spotter]

Great video, a very enjoyable watch!

[Nathaniel]

Made some recent purchases with two arriving today. Firstly a model W controller which I am fitting with a little amount of re-wiring and two new holes being drilled to accommodate the install. I also have received 5 lights which will find homes on the station and yard areas. Whilst working on the layout the water crane has. One loose and considering it replacing it somewhere else, maybe at the start of the platform.

[Nathaniel]

Another update, have installed the controller and placed 4 of the lights. Have also added a switch for all the lights using 2 of the pre-existing holes from Ember Brewery.