Focalplane
Western Thunderer
An update, March 2022
Track laying is finally complete, though not all the point motors have been connected.
An update, September 2021
On returning to France after 10 months absence, I have decided that the current layout is not offering the best operational options. For example, local passenger services are held in hidden loops where it is not possible to man handle the locos from front to back of the rakes. But there must still be a link between the station complex and the main lines.
The story continues on Page 34
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I am currently posting to page 23 and looking back on this first entry it is clear that there have been many dead ends explored along this journey. Moor Street has become a major project which aims to capture the essence of the place such that viewers would recognize it for what it is, yet it is not the whole nine yards - an appropriate simile - due to lack of space.
One aspect that has changed is the provision of more of the Goods Station. Note that Moor Street was not a "yard" but rather a place for receiving deliveries to the "city of a thousand trades" in the form of food, raw materials and so on and to some extent a point for export of goods made.
Operations have been made more interesting, only limited by the amount of off scene storage. Day time operations were totally different from night time operations, the former passenger working, the latter goods workings. In addition there were summer specials. So the season will be summer with fruit arriving from the Vale of Evesham, bananas from afar and fish from the North Sea. This scenario allows for a wide range of locomotives to be built once the layout is up and running!
Yes, Penmaenpool started to be taken down today after a prolonged realization that it wasn't going to satisfy as an operating layout. Fortunately only a few scenic additions had been made and I have already proved with one major makeover that the L Girder System allows this sort of thing quite painlessly. Half the layout was dissembled this afternoon and new plywood is going up.
Anyway, what about Moor Street? Some history.
A late arrival on the Birmingham railway scene, Moor Street started to serve Warwickshire's growing suburban needs in 1908 with the opening of the North Warwickshire Line from Tyseley to Bearley Junction. Already suburban services down to Leamington Spa were saturating the main line, but the North Warwickshire Line to Stratford and Cheltenham was also seen as a competitor to the Midland line from Birmingham to Bristol via Lickey.
My personal involvement with Moor Street began when I was born for we lived in Earlswood, the high point on the line served by Earlswood Lakes and the Lakes Halt. The lakes refer to the reservoirs for the Stratford upon Avon Canal. The River Blythe (really a trickle) was one of many streams that drained the Birmingham Plateau though it wasn't really involved in the Industrial Revolution, being too far south, but it did keep the canal full of water.
But back to Moor Street. Snow Hill was the GWR's premier Northern Division station, basically a four track plus two goods lines through station with terminal bays facing north. The geography of the city was such that no bays could be constructed facing south and the cut and cover Snow Hill Tunnel was also on a steep southerly incline with commercial development overhead. It could not be widened to four tracks.
Moor Street was developed alongside the main line with an original single track access and only two platforms. This was later doubled and today there are five platforms since platforms were provided on the through lines after Snow Hill was closed. In fact, they were the only platforms until Chiltern Railways responded to an initiative to restore Moor Street along with the new Bullring development. The modern retro station is a marvel, particularly as it has a really good coffee/tea room in the old concourse.
One other aspect of Moor Street that I remember from numerous visits from home was the presence of the two traversers. These allowed arriving tank engines to move across and back down a release line to back up to the rear of their train and depart. Many was the time I watched this process. The space under the platforms for the traverser is still there today. Large Prairies were the tank engines on most commuter services, ideally suited to the inclines and the need to accelerate from numerous stops on both the main line to Leamington Spa and the North Warwickshire Line. The service was so good my father never learned to drive a car! We occasionally took a train from Snow Hill, usually a semi-fast that stopped at Earlswood on its way to Cheltenham but that meant a longer walk home.
So Moor Street it is, but a few Rule 1 differences will exist from reality due to space restrictions.
Rule 1 (a) - the track plan is simpler than the maximum for the usual space reasons. Fortunately there is a track plan of the half completed station in 1914 and this will be the basis of the layout, even though the time period will be BR late 1950s.
Rule 1 (b) - Although a Western Region station, London Midland trains were often seen on the main line south from Snow Hill. Many goods trains, both long distance and local transfer, were hauled by both Western and London Midland locos. In addition, electrification programs on the WCML and at New Street meant that all sorts of trains might be seen, either at Moor Street or on the main line. Several trains from the south terminating in Birmingham used Moor Street, two I know of originated from Portsmouth and Kingswear. Add in Football specials (St. Andrews is in walking distance) and weekend services could be varied. Moor Street was served by Tyseley shed, 84E, a major shed then as it is today. Moor Street also had a two story goods shed though there is no room to model this. All goods trains will be seen on the main line, hauled by anything from a pannier to a 9F.
Rule 1 (c) - The only buildings I have at Penmaenpool include the engine shed, mess hut and coal stage. These will be used as a staging area for tank engines beyond the station throat. My 60ft turntable will also be incorporated in the layout, representing one of Tyseley's two turntables for visiting tender engines. Moor Street will mostly use ready to plonk buildings and laser kits.
Moor Street since is restoration:
Paul
Track laying is finally complete, though not all the point motors have been connected.
An update, September 2021
On returning to France after 10 months absence, I have decided that the current layout is not offering the best operational options. For example, local passenger services are held in hidden loops where it is not possible to man handle the locos from front to back of the rakes. But there must still be a link between the station complex and the main lines.
The story continues on Page 34
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am currently posting to page 23 and looking back on this first entry it is clear that there have been many dead ends explored along this journey. Moor Street has become a major project which aims to capture the essence of the place such that viewers would recognize it for what it is, yet it is not the whole nine yards - an appropriate simile - due to lack of space.
One aspect that has changed is the provision of more of the Goods Station. Note that Moor Street was not a "yard" but rather a place for receiving deliveries to the "city of a thousand trades" in the form of food, raw materials and so on and to some extent a point for export of goods made.
Operations have been made more interesting, only limited by the amount of off scene storage. Day time operations were totally different from night time operations, the former passenger working, the latter goods workings. In addition there were summer specials. So the season will be summer with fruit arriving from the Vale of Evesham, bananas from afar and fish from the North Sea. This scenario allows for a wide range of locomotives to be built once the layout is up and running!
Yes, Penmaenpool started to be taken down today after a prolonged realization that it wasn't going to satisfy as an operating layout. Fortunately only a few scenic additions had been made and I have already proved with one major makeover that the L Girder System allows this sort of thing quite painlessly. Half the layout was dissembled this afternoon and new plywood is going up.
Anyway, what about Moor Street? Some history.
A late arrival on the Birmingham railway scene, Moor Street started to serve Warwickshire's growing suburban needs in 1908 with the opening of the North Warwickshire Line from Tyseley to Bearley Junction. Already suburban services down to Leamington Spa were saturating the main line, but the North Warwickshire Line to Stratford and Cheltenham was also seen as a competitor to the Midland line from Birmingham to Bristol via Lickey.
My personal involvement with Moor Street began when I was born for we lived in Earlswood, the high point on the line served by Earlswood Lakes and the Lakes Halt. The lakes refer to the reservoirs for the Stratford upon Avon Canal. The River Blythe (really a trickle) was one of many streams that drained the Birmingham Plateau though it wasn't really involved in the Industrial Revolution, being too far south, but it did keep the canal full of water.
But back to Moor Street. Snow Hill was the GWR's premier Northern Division station, basically a four track plus two goods lines through station with terminal bays facing north. The geography of the city was such that no bays could be constructed facing south and the cut and cover Snow Hill Tunnel was also on a steep southerly incline with commercial development overhead. It could not be widened to four tracks.
Moor Street was developed alongside the main line with an original single track access and only two platforms. This was later doubled and today there are five platforms since platforms were provided on the through lines after Snow Hill was closed. In fact, they were the only platforms until Chiltern Railways responded to an initiative to restore Moor Street along with the new Bullring development. The modern retro station is a marvel, particularly as it has a really good coffee/tea room in the old concourse.
One other aspect of Moor Street that I remember from numerous visits from home was the presence of the two traversers. These allowed arriving tank engines to move across and back down a release line to back up to the rear of their train and depart. Many was the time I watched this process. The space under the platforms for the traverser is still there today. Large Prairies were the tank engines on most commuter services, ideally suited to the inclines and the need to accelerate from numerous stops on both the main line to Leamington Spa and the North Warwickshire Line. The service was so good my father never learned to drive a car! We occasionally took a train from Snow Hill, usually a semi-fast that stopped at Earlswood on its way to Cheltenham but that meant a longer walk home.
So Moor Street it is, but a few Rule 1 differences will exist from reality due to space restrictions.
Rule 1 (a) - the track plan is simpler than the maximum for the usual space reasons. Fortunately there is a track plan of the half completed station in 1914 and this will be the basis of the layout, even though the time period will be BR late 1950s.
Rule 1 (b) - Although a Western Region station, London Midland trains were often seen on the main line south from Snow Hill. Many goods trains, both long distance and local transfer, were hauled by both Western and London Midland locos. In addition, electrification programs on the WCML and at New Street meant that all sorts of trains might be seen, either at Moor Street or on the main line. Several trains from the south terminating in Birmingham used Moor Street, two I know of originated from Portsmouth and Kingswear. Add in Football specials (St. Andrews is in walking distance) and weekend services could be varied. Moor Street was served by Tyseley shed, 84E, a major shed then as it is today. Moor Street also had a two story goods shed though there is no room to model this. All goods trains will be seen on the main line, hauled by anything from a pannier to a 9F.
Rule 1 (c) - The only buildings I have at Penmaenpool include the engine shed, mess hut and coal stage. These will be used as a staging area for tank engines beyond the station throat. My 60ft turntable will also be incorporated in the layout, representing one of Tyseley's two turntables for visiting tender engines. Moor Street will mostly use ready to plonk buildings and laser kits.
Moor Street since is restoration:
Paul
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