SimonT
Western Thunderer
I have just looked and found that it is a year since I posted anything on my layout building. There has been progress on Holme Wotsit and I shall detail such progress on that layout thread. This thread is going to be about my replacement of my layout of a life time, Aberbeeg. It was ambitious and big, needing a 7T truck to get it to and fro from shows and occupied ten years of my life while I built everything. After our move to Wales I couldn't build a suitable sized shed to hold it (12m x 5m) and so everything of further use was salvaged and the remainder recycled.
While contemplating what I wanted to do I made a start on Holme Thingy but to be honest, my heart isn't really into the Edwardian mini idyl; I really like railways that do things, preferably with the minimum of interference from coaches. The publication of the second part of John Hodge's History of the Western Valley (The valley up to Ebbw Vale) gave a huge amount of information about the traffic into and out of the works. Now the works was about 3 miles long but there were some useable chunks that might become a layout. I was particularly taken by North Inlet just short of Ebbw Vale Low Level. What looks to be double track is in fact a bi-directional passenger line and a bi-directional freight line. There was a kick back line into the works from the freight line. An iron ore train, for example, would stop with the brake van and banker just short on the kick back and the van would be uncoupled from the train. The train would pull forward and than set back into the works. Once inside the banker, if a heavy freight loco, would pull forward past the kick back and then go into the works with the van to take out the first down train (GW naming practice - down as in down the hill, forget about London!). If the bankers were a pair of 94XX, they might go back down to Aberbeeg using the freight line or cross over to go down the passenger line.
As mentioned earlier, half a mile further up the hill is Ebbw Vale Low Level station where the freight line/passenger line business gets complicated as passenger engines ran around the train using some crossovers and the freight line. There is also a small yard to shunt and if I had a bit more length there is the passenger line continuing up the valley to High Level station and Beaufort.
Now what would happen if North Entry was opposite the station platform? Loads of operation and movement. So there the followed a period of scruffy sketches and then a bit of CAD. My new shed is 9m x 3m, so the lead restriction was the size of the fiddle yard and thus the train length. This then dictated where things like turnouts and crossovers sat to try and get the longest train. I then had a bit of luck when I found Network Rail had a copy of the architects drawings for the new station building built in the thirties. It even had a ground plan of the whole site to trace and as a result the curve matches the ral thing.
Enough words, time for some pictures.
The scenic portion is 6m of the shed
The layout sits on some supporting legs and a shelf built into the shed; I have no intention of taking this one out to shows. The top surface of the boards rises a 1:80 like the real thing although I later found out that it is actually 1:55!
The fiddle yard uses cassettes and obviously serves as a very useful dumping ground. The signal box was built for me by Peter Kibble and was the junction box at Aberbeeg. It is far too massive for EVNE but I keep on thinking of excuses to have it on the train set.
The whole layout was designed full sized in CAD including the track. The GWR track book by David Smith gives all the information required to build authentic GW track. I spent a lot of time looking at old black and white photos to get the sleepering correct. At some time there was some track replacement here as all the crossovers seem to make extensive use of block work.
Railway Cottages have made the move from Aberbeeg. The ground levels are interesting around here. The track bed climbs while the retaining wall descends and the cottages are built on a slope that climbs into the corner! The goods shed is from Holme Woteva and is way too small for here. As far as I know, there is only one photo taken of the goods shed and that is from a bridge near the platforms. So not a lot to go on!
There has been a lot more progress since this last photo was taken and I will gradually update this thread.
Can I wish you all a brilliant Christmas and good health into 2022. May you get the modelling presents you hope for (even RTR
); I've got some oil paints to try weathering with. Stay safe from Ohmygodicon or Putin's invasion of the Ukraine.
Simon
While contemplating what I wanted to do I made a start on Holme Thingy but to be honest, my heart isn't really into the Edwardian mini idyl; I really like railways that do things, preferably with the minimum of interference from coaches. The publication of the second part of John Hodge's History of the Western Valley (The valley up to Ebbw Vale) gave a huge amount of information about the traffic into and out of the works. Now the works was about 3 miles long but there were some useable chunks that might become a layout. I was particularly taken by North Inlet just short of Ebbw Vale Low Level. What looks to be double track is in fact a bi-directional passenger line and a bi-directional freight line. There was a kick back line into the works from the freight line. An iron ore train, for example, would stop with the brake van and banker just short on the kick back and the van would be uncoupled from the train. The train would pull forward and than set back into the works. Once inside the banker, if a heavy freight loco, would pull forward past the kick back and then go into the works with the van to take out the first down train (GW naming practice - down as in down the hill, forget about London!). If the bankers were a pair of 94XX, they might go back down to Aberbeeg using the freight line or cross over to go down the passenger line.
As mentioned earlier, half a mile further up the hill is Ebbw Vale Low Level station where the freight line/passenger line business gets complicated as passenger engines ran around the train using some crossovers and the freight line. There is also a small yard to shunt and if I had a bit more length there is the passenger line continuing up the valley to High Level station and Beaufort.
Now what would happen if North Entry was opposite the station platform? Loads of operation and movement. So there the followed a period of scruffy sketches and then a bit of CAD. My new shed is 9m x 3m, so the lead restriction was the size of the fiddle yard and thus the train length. This then dictated where things like turnouts and crossovers sat to try and get the longest train. I then had a bit of luck when I found Network Rail had a copy of the architects drawings for the new station building built in the thirties. It even had a ground plan of the whole site to trace and as a result the curve matches the ral thing.
Enough words, time for some pictures.
The scenic portion is 6m of the shed
The layout sits on some supporting legs and a shelf built into the shed; I have no intention of taking this one out to shows. The top surface of the boards rises a 1:80 like the real thing although I later found out that it is actually 1:55!
The fiddle yard uses cassettes and obviously serves as a very useful dumping ground. The signal box was built for me by Peter Kibble and was the junction box at Aberbeeg. It is far too massive for EVNE but I keep on thinking of excuses to have it on the train set.
The whole layout was designed full sized in CAD including the track. The GWR track book by David Smith gives all the information required to build authentic GW track. I spent a lot of time looking at old black and white photos to get the sleepering correct. At some time there was some track replacement here as all the crossovers seem to make extensive use of block work.
Railway Cottages have made the move from Aberbeeg. The ground levels are interesting around here. The track bed climbs while the retaining wall descends and the cottages are built on a slope that climbs into the corner! The goods shed is from Holme Woteva and is way too small for here. As far as I know, there is only one photo taken of the goods shed and that is from a bridge near the platforms. So not a lot to go on!
There has been a lot more progress since this last photo was taken and I will gradually update this thread.
Can I wish you all a brilliant Christmas and good health into 2022. May you get the modelling presents you hope for (even RTR
); I've got some oil paints to try weathering with. Stay safe from Ohmygodicon or Putin's invasion of the Ukraine.Simon
