Inspiration and a New Beginning

 

As a new member of BRMA since 2007 and having been encouraged by the many inspirational quality layouts that Adelaide members had to offer, the decision was made to put together a layout that was to serve three purposes. The first was to use the layout as the focal point when hosting a BRMA area meeting at my place of residence. The second was to be able to use the layout for exhibition use, prompted by the lack of a layout available for local promotion of the BRMA at local exhibitions since the early 2000’s. Thirdly, I would have the chance to use my experience in layout building and model scratch building techniques gained since the mid-1980’s.  As a regular exhibitor of South Australian Railways exhibition layouts since that time, I was going to relish the challenge of creating a new British outline layout.

 

So many of the British expatriate members had asked me why I chose the LMS, particularly as I had never visited Britain.  Like many others of my age (40’s), I had Tri-ang and Hornby when I was a young lad, and it was the basis for my ongoing disease of railway modelling. My favourites were a tender-driven Black Five and a “Princess Elizabeth” that I remember repainting from BR green to LMS crimson lake. The other was a Blue Pullman set. Remember the ones with the serrated wheels for traction? I can still remember the buzz I used to get when the faster the Pullman went, the higher the pitch of noise that came though the rails. Sound familiar? So the LMS it had to be and, besides that, the railway had that red colour scheme - we all know anything that is red is more sensual!  Now rub your eyes, that’s sensual not sexual! 

 

My theme of choice for the layout would be the LMS around the Midlands. After searching through the hundreds of websites dedicated to the history of British railways, anything ex- Midland Railway, L&YR or even LNWR caught my eye. In particular, Bakewell Station on the old London (St. Pancras) to Manchester (Central) main line struck me, with its brilliant Midland Railway architecture and atmosphere. I had been involved with modelling the South Australian Railways for over thirty years and the architecture used in South Australia’s buildings was very similar to that of the Midland Railway. I have a love of old buildings with rich and ornate features, so stations with dressed stonework, those beautiful sawtooth glass awnings, cast iron posts and brackets, are visually pleasing, to say the least. Amazing cast iron lattice footbridges, ornate cast iron station lamps and seats – truly a time when pride in style and design were the order of the day. The era would have to be the 1930’s, with a reasonable amount of ready–to-run OO scale equipment available, at least on the second hand market. I had no OO scale equipment to run on the layout, so a very steep learning curve was begun, with buying what I needed through online websites and direct purchases from British retailers, for models and parts that I could not source from here in Australia. Having a dedicated era and theme means I just could not use any other railway company’s infrastructure. Models had to be derived from the aforementioned districts and era only.

 

Design and Concept

 

Hunting around the web for a layout plan produced an old C.J. Feezer design, which caught my eye. It was a little too large in size, but had great operational potential and interest. So, with some shrinking of overall dimensions, tightening of curves, plus a few slight changes and adding an engine shed, the plan was redrawn and settled.  The layout had to be modular and fit on a 6 x 4 foot trailer, with modules arranged pancake style for transport. A demountable box would need to be made to carry the layout to exhibitions. The layout’s presentation would require overhead pelmet lighting, and have neat and tidy pleated curtains around the modules, which would be colour matched to the profiled fascia.

 

The modular baseboard framework would need to be sturdy, so 70 x 19mm pine frames were used to produce the four quadrant modules. See the plan, which shows the module baseboard joins. Photo 1 shows the four modules under construction, laid out on the floor before legs were installed. Pre-cut 6mm MDF was used for all the track bedding and secured to the frames with nails and glue. A power jigsaw was used to cut all the curved shapes. All the fascia boards were jigsaw cut from 3mm MDF and, once all the components were glued together and reinforced with gussets, each module was then spray painted with an acrylic paint to seal all timberwork. Sealing the timberwork is most important, so that you don’t have to worry about warping and misalignment during the life of the modules.

 

Photo 1

 

Tunnel portals

 

Once all the track lines were marked out, I decided to build the portals before laying the track. This was necessary, as the baseboard for Bakewell Bridge Station needed to rest on top of the portal structures at the diamond crossing end of the layout. As can be seen on the track plan, the tunnel entrances are somewhat unconventional, but this type of track plan demands such intricate arrangement of the entrances. I used 6mm MDF again, as it’s easy to cut and fashion the special shapes needed to get the final result. Its rigid construction also plays an integral part in the strength of the module.

Track Plan

 

Photo 2 shows the dual entrances with embossed stone card (Metcalfe M0050) glued directly onto the MDF. So that the tunnels didn’t look as if they led to a wide-open chasm, arched walls needed to be installed and braced to give the effect of a hollowed-out stone-lined tunnel. The same card was used and braced with balsa wood sections. The tunnel mouths then needed capping stones and arch blocks to finish them off. The capping and ridge-stone embellishment stonework was made from balsawood, fashioned and sanded with cuts made with a knife blade, to create the blocks and joins in the stonework. The arch blocks that appear on the face of the entrances were obtained from a European model manufacturer. These blocks are plastic moulded in flexible strips and one only needs to trim to length and “spring” them inside the arch and glue into place. They are a brilliant time-saver if you have to scratchbuild your own portals and they look very realistic. Photo 3 shows the completed entrances after touching up with a mix of paint to match the embossed stone card blocks. This is then given a final wash with thinned black paint to match the black mortar effect that is printed on the card.

 

Photo 2

 

Photo 3

 

Code 75 track

 

The track of choice was to be Peco Code 75, and strictly the use of their medium 3 foot radius Electrofrog points. When deciding on what track to use, I noted the very nice proportions of the single slip that I needed for Wellingford No.2 Junction. The slip has, as it turns out, very good running qualities and is serving extremely well in service. The diamond crossing at the junction at the other end of the layout is equally smooth in operation. The code 75 track design, with its minimal use of guard rails and smaller flange clearances, gives the track its fineness in appearance. I am very happy with its performance. There is also another benefit, when needing to “bend” the points for smooth transition into curved track. Once the sleeper stretchers (tying the sleepers together) are removed under the rails, slight bending of the whole point is made easy due to the smallness of the rails. I find this technique very useful to obtain that nice transition into curves and also tight spots in track alignment that are not obvious when drawn on a plan. Photo 4 shows the track and tunnel entrances at the other end of the layout, with the balsa capping stones before painting. Though not obvious to the eye, the diamond crossing was bent in slightly, which allowed the curved points at the tunnel entrances to be aligned more smoothly into the curves that go off into the tunnel. I find curved points are a “must have” for any layout design. They were used extensively on British railways and eight out of the thirty points on the layout are curved. At the module joins you can see copper circuit board used for track alignment. Pieces of 1.5mm thick circuit board were cut to the standard sleeper length and two sleepers wide. When glued and nailed into position with the rails soldered on top, they prove very reliable. They can be almost touching at the joint, so the rails are only about 0.5mm apart, which gives reliable running quality. All points are operated using standard Peco motors mounted directly under points, with the exception of two points up on the entrance to Bakewell Bridge. The clearance above the hidden sidings below was a little close, so the motors were mounted above the baseboard, with a long-throw rod connecting them to the tie bars. All point motors have a contact block attached to change the point blade polarity, a must for smooth engine performance at low speeds.

 

Photo 4

 

Grades and Elevation

 

So that a good clearance could be obtained between the lower hidden sidings and Bakewell Bridge Station baseboard, some careful arrangement of elevation on the track plan was needed. On the plan you will see the elevations marked 0” inches in the hidden sidings and 3” at Bakewell Bridge. Therefore Wellingford needed to be half-way between the two elevations, so that gradients would be about the same for the main lines and the branch. The resulting grades work out to be 1 in 40 on the branch lines and 1 in 48 on the main lines. Rather steep, one might think, but with the use of short length trains, lightly weighted rolling stock and a little extra weight in the smaller engines, any loss of traction has been eliminated. Photo 5 shows all track laying completed through Wellingford Station.

 

Photo 5

 

Photo 6 shows the branch up-grade to the left and the main lines down-grade into the tunnels. Note the open frames between the track beds. These areas will become important in providing the long cuttings that are so typical of British permanent way.

 

Photo 6

 

Photo 7 shows Bakewell Bridge Station site to the right and the hidden mainline sidings to the left.

 

Photo 7

 

Road Bridges

 

Another integral part of the layout structure was the setting out of the road bridges. As I had chosen Bakewell as my inspiration for the branch station, I set about trying to replicate what I could in its layout. The stone arch bridge spanning Bakewell’s station platforms was an intricate affair, with the road set at an angle to the track and also on a gradient! Langley Models came to the rescue, with a vacuum-formed styrene stone profile kit that was exactly what was needed. Photo 8 shows the kit installed over 6mm MDF formers. The Texta marks on either side show where the lie of the land will be. The large stone arch bridge over Wellingford and the engine shed was to prove a bit of a challenge. In the end, I designed three stone arches to fit snugly within the spread of tracks, but the coal stage track ramp was somewhat elevated at that point, so a girder bridge was factored in to the design, which I think gives quite a good effect.

 

Photo 8

 

Photo 9 shows the bridge over the yard connecting with the town village area in the corner of the layout. Another challenge I set myself  was to have town buildings set on an inclining street, which would also be on a curve! This proved to be a real winner, as you will see in later photos. The engine shed has started growing and, by this time, wiring and testing have begun on all trackwork.

 

Photo 9

 

Wiring and Control panels

 

The control panels are arranged such that the Wellingford side of the layout and the Bakewell Bridge side have their own panels centrally located in the operating pit. Each panel is split in the centre by the module join and this proved beneficial for wiring. The panels are laid out with a track diagram that is faithful to the track plan, so that each half panel could have all its wiring of blocks and points wired directly to its own module. This reduced the need for large numbers of pin connectors between modules. Only blocks that ran across the module joint would need to be wired though a plug and socket connector. Photo 10 shows the Wellingford Panel. The outer, inner and branch lines are colour-coded, matched with the controllers. The panels are made from 3mm Masonite painted matt black, with the lines applied with motor body vinyl pin striping, available at the local motor shop. The strip is quite flexible and can be curved, manipulated and trimmed; it is also self-adhesive. The layout is block wired, with both rails isolated with a double-pole double-throw switch. Each point has a (momentary on)-off-(momentary on) switch, using a capacitor discharge unit for operation of the point solenoids. Being an electrician helps here, as I home-made all the power supplies, CDU, throttle controllers and infra-red occupancy detectors. The detectors were needed to allow operators to use the hidden sidings.

 

Photo 10

 

Buildings and structures around Wellingford

 

This is where things got interesting! Firstly, the station platforms were built. Platform faces were made from balsa wood square section and the platform tops were jigsawed out from 3mm MDF. On top, the paving stones were cut from Metcalfe M0055 Paving sheets, which are pre-weathered. The edge stones were glued down in strips first, defining the area where the mass paved areas could be cut from the sheets. A very satisfying and convincing effect was created by these pavers as seen in photo 11, surprising some of the older hands in this game, who would have used styrene sheets. Once extra weathering was applied with an airbrush, they look just like they do in the old photos. Once the Wellingford town roadways were laid out, I set about arranging different types of buildings, to achieve a scene where all the buildings are squished up together, so typical of the English towns. Station Street is inclined on a curve, so each building needed its own set of foundations to match the building base. I made these from balsa wood -again, a very useful lightweight material that is quick to work with. Some of the buildings were cast resin models, such as Hornby Skaledale or Bachmann Scenecraft, so what material was sawn off the upper end of the base of the building was turned upside down and glued on the lower end. This gave the effect of the building built into the sloping land around it – another typical English architectural trait.

 

Photo 11

 

Photo 12 shows these effects on the sloping street. Metcalfe M0051 Cobblestone sheets provided the road surface. Roads are traditionally not flat for drainage purposes, so before gluing down the road surface, a narrow strip of balsa wood was glued down the centre. This gives the familiar cambered effect for water run-off.

 

Photo 12

 

Photo 13 provides a view over Wellingford, with other buildings starting to pop up, including the Goods Depot. The terraced housing along the rear of the yard was another curiosity which I admire in English towns. The terrace housing models are three Metcalfe PO 221 kits put together. Some enhancements were made to make them more realistic, along with separate gardens and fences, each slightly different to its neighbour.

 

Photo 13

 

Opening Ceremony

 

Construction of the layout commenced during Easter of 2009. It was now June 2010 and time to have my first BRMA meeting at home, so a ‘cutting the ribbon” ceremony took place to officially commission the layout. Photo 14 was captured on the 19^th of June as a Hughes Crab performed the duties. It took three attempts to actually break the paper ribbon, which had “Official opening of the Wellingford & Bakewell Bridge Railway” written across it. A round of applause was heard, amongst a few chuckles as well!

 

Photo 14

 

Track, ballast and scenery

 

Late 2010 saw the layout come along in leaps and bounds. The entire track was given an airbrushed coat of rust-coloured paint, sleepers and all. Then, over the top, with the airbrush held perpendicular to the track, some Railroad Tie Brown (an American Floquil product) was applied, giving the desired weathered track look I was after. Medium grade dark grey ballast was then added. I used ballast from the Hornby range for the first time ever, and was impressed by its quality and uniformity, no matter where I acquired the packets. I needed sixteen packets, sourced from four local hobby shops, as they don’t keep large stocks any more. The usual 50/50 water and PVA glue mix was applied. Bakewell Bridge now got some attention, with platforms installed, and a new footbridge constructed from a Langley Models etched brass and white metal kit. As it so happened, it was the exact same design of bridge that was at Bakewell and, with a few enhancements, it fitted exactly where it should have, right next to the road bridge. Photo 15 shows the bridge in position, but the stepped connection between the left end of the bridge and the opening in the stonewall atop the road bridge is yet to be completed. Some greenery is now creeping in, with stonewalling added, connecting the stone bridge with rest of the scene. A Midland style signal box was made from a Ratio kit and slightly modified to sit in position next to the platform. The scratch built skeleton of the sawtooth awning station shelter was placed in position, while the scenery around it was put in. The main station building had at this stage not been started, but will take up residence where “X” marks the spot!

 

Photo 15

 

The larger areas of green fields and cuttings were now in focus and I tried a new technique, which would be quite a significant break-away from the traditional ‘scatter onto a painted surface’ method of laying down the grass. I was walking through a local curtain and dressmakers store, looking for new bath towels one day, and noticed this roll of olive green Polar Fleece material, the kind of material that warm pullovers are made from, that would be a great cover for the rolling hills. Looking at it more closely I saw that one side had quite short and trimmed texture, but the other side had a much longer, stubbier look to it. Ah, fantastic, I thought. This is worth a try. The fleece turned out to be a winner, having some quite good characteristics that made the job of covering the hills much faster and less messy. I still used the traditional flywire over cardboard formers method, but instead of using paper towels soaked in Plaster of Paris to cover the flywire, I used Chux Supa-Wipes, soaked in cornice cement instead. The cornice cement sets harder than plaster, and resists crumbling, due to the glues that are present in the compound plaster mix. Also you only need apply one covering using this method, because the combination of the woven cloth of the Supa-wipes and the cornice cement makes one very hard shell indeed.  The fleece can then be roughly trimmed to the area you want to cover. Paint the whole area with PVA glue and lay down the fleece directly on top. In this case I chose the longer, stubbier side of the fleece to face upwards. Because the fleece is a flexible and stretchy material, it can be stretched over any unwanted depressions and pushed into corners and unusual profiles with ease. Once the glue was dry, I trimmed the excess off around the profiled edges of the layout with a sharp blade and, Voila! Instant fields of green! Then, to give the fleece a less uniform look and greater depth, I sprayed some areas with a super hold hair spray and sprinkled them with glass fibres and fine foam turf materials of similar shades.

 

Photo 16

 

The stone boundary walls arranged around Bakewell Bridge were constructed using Hornby Skaledale Cotswold Stonewalls. These walls are very realistically produced in resin and are pre-painted and weathered. There are pieces of wall in straights, bends, corners, gateways, dips and even broken walls. Each piece was filed a little to follow the land surface, and trimmed a little where they lock together, to close any gaps as best as possible.. Once the walls were glued in place, I made a paste of plaster and paint, which was then brushed into the joints and run over with an old toothbrush. Once all was dry, I re-weathered the joints to match the rest of the wall surface. The resulting stonewalls are entirely convincing models. Photos 16 and 17 show how the stone walls create that rural atmosphere. The areas outside the stonewalls are laid with the fleece, but the grassed areas within the boundaries of the walls are a MiniNatur product made in Germany. These mats, with the glass fibres arranged with the tufts of grass, are ready to apply, in the same manner as I described earlier with Polar Fleece. I chose these mats because of their intricate detail; to replicate the effect would otherwise take a huge amount of time. The tunnel vent poking out of the ground here was a nice touch to the landscape. I used a toilet roll as the former, wrapping the roll with some of the embossed stone and trimming it. The mesh in the top was made from soldering some copper wire together and weathering it with rust-coloured paint.

 

Photo 17

 

Bakewell Bridge

 

Christmas 2010 was here and I had planned to take the layout to Adelaide’s big annual exhibition in six months time, so things had to pick up pace. Bakewell Bridge was focussed on and the main station building was scratch built and tried in position. Photo 18 shows the general area around Bakewell Bridge.

Photo 18

 

This part of the build was the most enjoyable. Finally I could put all the detail items such as station lamps, bench seating made from brass etch kits, flower beds from the MiniNatur range, Ratio LMS style fencing, fire buckets and hand-painted people figures arranged with purpose and meaningful positioning. Hand trolleys, a wheelbarrow full of coal for the stationmaster, an abundance of advertising signs, and station furniture make up that unmistakable atmosphere that has to be made to achieve a believable scene. This was a personal triumph for me, as the glass canopy station idea had finally materialized. I was really quite happy with the result - a high point in my modelling career, you might say. Photo 19 shows how a busy moment on the platform can invoke an atmosphere that was the steam era that I see in the many photos I have collected as reference. There are two books published by Wild Swan, LMS Lineside, Part One and Two, LMS Journal handbooks that have the most fantastic collection of railway architecture and structures, and the many small details that make up the station scene. These books were published while I was building the layout and the timing could not have been better.

 

Photo 19

 

For the construction of the cast iron posts and brackets on the buildings, I bent and assembled each post/bracket assembly, using copper wire on a jig to ensure each would look the same as the next. The posts were then assembled; with the cast iron elements simulated using bead makers’ items. An amazing array of shapes and sizes of beads are available to the modeller from the big craft shops, if you get out there and look. There is a small number of cones, straight sleeves and rings that are embellished with floral-type engravings, very similar to the original cast iron work you would find on the original posts. Once painted, they are, I think, quite convincing. The inspiration for the model is a photograph I found on the Internet of Bakewell station in its heyday. There was the Stationmaster’s house with a vegetable garden down the slopes toward the station. I have tried to make the area on this side of the station representative of the location. Photo 20 shows the Stationmaster’s garden, with attention given to a cameo scene that attracts much attention at exhibitions.

 

Photo 20

 

The other part of Bakewell Bridge that offers more cameo scenes is the Goods Yard and the village street scene. The Yard, being a simple track layout, demanded some extra attention scenically. With coal merchants busy loading coal sacks, cattle being tended in the dock, and some unloading activity at the Goods Shed, the area presents plenty to gaze your eye over. See Photo 21.

 

Photo 21

 

The Wellingford area

 

Another inspirational piece of architecture I found was that of the glass awnings attached to the entrances of some station buildings. Not readily seen from the platform in many of the old photos was an area where passengers would be dropped off to catch the train. Protected from inclement weather, would-be passengers could be driven under the canopy in horse-drawn carts or motors, and proceed without getting wet. The scratch built canopy structure was made from styrene and brass, copper wire and acrylic sheet for the roof panels, and signage printed from the computer. I used the same construction ideas as used on the sawtooth awning canopies on Bakewell Bridge.  The feature street lamp is a modified Viessman item. The cast iron gates and fence are brass etches from Scalelink. The horse coach is a white metal kit, the LMS delivery van and the Royal Mail van are Autocraft kits. Wellingford’s platform name boards were constructed in the unique Midland style entirely from styrene. The lettering was arranged on the computer and printed out, giving a pleasing result, specially worded for the layout. Research on colours and old photos of these name boards suggested they were white, cream/buff or Midland brown.  I left them white, but I’m on the verge of painting them cream, as they stand out a little too much, I think.

 

Photo 22

 

Photo 23

 

Ideas for the Goods Depot in Wellingford came from some of the inspirational layouts of fellow BRMA members. For example, trying to get a photo of a cattle dock online proved difficult, and none of my reference books showed any up close, either. But a number of the local guys have built some fine examples, using Slater’s granite setts for the dock floor, with Ratio (419) concrete fencing posts, the ones with the holes already in them. So I took some photos and used them to arrange my own docks in a similar manner. After painting and weathering and fitting out with details such as water taps, troughs, weeds and, of course, animals, I was very happy with the result. I also learned through research that not only sheep or cattle were penned in the docks, but also pigs and the occasional horse! The central area around the Depot was treated similarly and more granite setts were used to pave the higher traffic areas. Photo24 shows the Wellingford Goods Depot. The Goods Shed is a Metcalfe Models Card kit (PO232), sitting right next to the coal staithes. The staithes were made from scribed 2mm balsawood sheet to represent the timber palings and were suitably loaded with real crushed coal in different grades. Many ex-Midland Railway goods depots had a large signboard erected over the entrance, so a sign was made to a suitable MR/LMS style and arrangement. The Depot also sports a Midland Railway J. Spencer & Co. cart weighbridge plate buried in the ground next to the attendant’s hut. A very nice etched stainless steel plate is offered by Scalelink,  part number #WTSF13.

 

Photo 24

 

Wellingford Engine Shed

 

The shed was entirely fitted out with Metcalfe Models card kits: the Engine Shed and Workshop (PO213), the Midland-styled Coal Stage (PO222) and the Water Tower & Sand House (PO227). Water columns are Midland-style Mike’s Models, part number MM4, only available from Holt’s Model Railways in the UK. Most of these I had to modify, as the heights of the columns were modified higher when the larger LMS types of engines came into service. The models are the floor or ground type, and I had to shorten one of the columns for platform use on one of the Wellingford Station platforms. The usual engine depot clutter was added and those distinct piles of ash were added around the place to enhance the scene. 

 

Right around the layout there are appropriate warning signs for differing situations. These have been made on the computer to the original pattern and style of the MR/LMS. The LMS Handbooks have been invaluable for these, for they show you what size they were and even the colouring. The Midland Railway, along with many other constituent companies, had cast bridge number plates attached for the permanent way gangs and Signal & Telegraph Department reference. Each of the footbridges and road bridges has them fitted, with the footbridge and road bridge at Bakewell Bridge numbered the same as the prototype.

 

Photo 25

 

Signalling

 

One of my favourite pieces of railway equipment is the large variety of types of signals on a railway. I used a mixture of LMS 476, 478, 470 and LNER 486 Ratio signal kits. The LNER kits have the lattice masts, which are useful for the tall bracket signals. A combination of all the kits was needed to construct the many differing types, along with some parts that needed to be scratchbuilt to get the right LMS-style brackets not supplied in the kits. One overhanging bracket signal was scratchbuilt in the ex-Midland style with timber mast, for a spot at the entrance to a tunnel, where the driver would have a difficult time trying to see the signal. The gantry over the three tracks was made from two Pratt Truss gantry 478 Ratio kits. There is one sky repeater starter signal post past the Bakewell Bridge road bridge. This is a Model Signal Engineering kit, which adds to the scene, and was a necessary requirement for the engine driver approaching the set of points just beyond the bridge. Made from etched brass, these are handsome models, indeed. One detail I have picked up when researching LMS signals is the abundance of guy wires attached to the signals for stability. You may not be able to see them in these photos, but they are there. Every bracket and gantry signal had them attached, so most of the signals on the layout have had the same treatment. I used 0.015” spring steel wire for this purpose and the guy wires have proved invaluable for holding the signals vertical at all times, especially if one happens to brush past one accidentally while operating the layout. As for the telegraph posts, all my reference photos I have gathered show all the telegraph poles having guy wires as well, so all posts have them fitted around the layout.

 

Photo 26

 

Operation

 

As the layout is primarily an exhibition style of layout, and there are no back scenes, the operators as well as the public get to see most of the detailed scenery and the use of the control panels. Two operators are required to keep the trains moving. The mainline operator looks after the inner and outer main lines and has to change trains in the hidden sidings under Bakewell Bridge. The branch line operator has charge of the entire branch from the bay road in Wellingford, through Bakewell Bridge and down into the Wellingford Goods Yard, including the Engine Depot. The operators must work together to move trains from the main lines to the branch and vice versa. Where this occurs, the block sections have been given dual cab control, so seamless train movements are possible. Trains from the main lines need to be brought in through the branch to the Engine Depot for engine exchanges, thus keeping the wear and tear shared amongst the engine fleet. There are normally thirteen or fourteen engines on the layout at any one time. There is a facility for the branch to be split into two halves electrically, so while the branch operator is shunting in Bakewell Bridge, the mainline operator can re-arrange locos in the Engine Depot for an impending engine exchange movement. There are plenty of options for the branch operator to arrange his own train movements, which include running a shuttle service from Wellingford to Bakewell Bridge, shunting of goods trains between the two goods yards, changing engines at the Depot, marshalling coaches in the Coach Sidings off the bay road, or shunting moves in and around the bay road that involve a milk train. The layout can accommodate express passenger, stopping passenger, branch passenger connecting services, coal, ore, express goods, mixed, local stopping goods, and milk and parcels traffic. Each day at an exhibition I change a number of engines in the Engine Depot, so the operators get a good variety of engine types for various duties.

 

Photo 27

 

Engines and Rolling Stock

 

All the engines and rolling stock are fitted with Kadee couplers, set up to the standard specification. There are “under track” magnets set at strategic positions for hands-free shunting. All the dead end sidings have their own magnets. A small paint marker on the rail facing the operator is present at each magnet position, and their position is also marked on the control panels. A great number of the “trained” operators had not, up until operating this layout, ever used the Kadee couplers. Most have adapted well to their use and this has even spurred on some of the members to change over to Kadee couplers on their own home layouts!

 

Most of the engines and rolling stock were purchased second-hand and involved some repairs and TLC to get them running. All of the kit-built engines I bought have had the motors replaced with “can” motors and flywheels attached. The earlier Hornby engines (pre-Chinese made) such as the Fowler 2-6-4Ts have also had the can motor and flywheel treatment. The old tender-driven 4F and 2P engines of Airfix, Mainline and Dapol, have had the Ringfield drives removed and replaced with Hollywood Foundry Bullant drives. These have proved to be a worthwhile upgrade, with good gearing ratio and smooth running.

 

I have replaced all of the plastic axles/wheels on the coaches and wagons with metal types from the Bachmann range. I have chosen Bachmann over Hornby wheels, as I discovered early on that the sharp and narrow flange profile of the Hornby wheels was not reliable on Code 70 track. The Bachmann wheel profile is much more like the prototype and gives excellent reliability. As much as I like the nicer wheels, such as Alan Gibson, these are made with steel tyres and play havoc with the uncoupling magnets.

 

At this stage, coaching stock is the usual earlier Hornby Stanier offerings and the panelled coaches from Mainline and Bachmann. Some ex-LNWR coaches with Period 1 and 2 lining are used on the branch line. Some early Grafar and some Ratio Midland coach kits are on the list for construction soon. I replaced many of the inferior Hornby bogies with new replacement Bachmann LMS bogies. I had to come up with a way of attaching the Kadees to the coach bogies and once I mastered that they were all made the same. Couplings on curved track work well because they are bogie-mounted.

 

Many of the wagons are from various manufacturers, including some from Trix, Wrenn, Airfix, through to Dapol, Mainline, Bachmann and Hornby, Some are kits, of course, and I have scratch built a few examples. Every wagon has been re-wheeled, extra detail added where needed, weighted to allow good Kadee operation, couplers changed, payloads made and tarpaulins added, and then all weathered.

 

In conclusion

 

Build time was two years and two months. That included acquiring enough locomotives and rolling stock to run the layout with maximum effect, building the trailer box to carry the layout modules and the curtains and lighting apparatus. The layout has won awards at the 2011 Adelaide Model Railway Show and we ventured to the 2012 Sandown Railway Exhibition in Melbourne. Each time the layout performed well and I didn’t have to worry about the layout itself, only the operators! But small mishaps aside, my operating team assure me they had a smashing time. Some more shows are planned in the near future, including the 2012 Adelaide Model Railway Show and another later this year (2012). Though I still do modelling of the South Australian railways, time spent on British modelling has been in greater proportion recently. Some exciting models have recently appeared, and are coming for the LMS OO scale modeller, so the 1930’s era is being well catered for.

 

I would like to thank other BRMA Members for their hugely inspirational home layouts. Many scenic and infrastructure ideas were gleaned from them and influenced my modelling. Thanks also to the support from those BRMA members who have devoted their time to help out on the exhibition scene as well. After all, this is the greatest hobby in the world!