Elmham Market in EM

[James Spooner]

Not sure where to start really, but I came across this grouping and it seemed to be populated by friendly and helpful people, so thought I would benefit and learn from joining. I have been modelling since I was in my teens but would definitely regard myself as something of a bodger rather than having the skills I see and admire in so many others.

My interests are twofold: the ex GER in East Anglia (modelling in EM set in the 1950’s) and narrow gauge, principally the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways (but to date confine that to 16mm in the garden, apart from being involved with the real thing). I have very slowly been building an EM gauge model based on Lavenham station in Suffolk, but with liberties taken to make it easier to shunt with locos, rather than horses or using chains (which I think the real thing used), so changed the name to Elmham Market to save anyone’s blushes. It is still a long way off being finished, but I attach a photo or two to show progress to date.

 

[Rob R]

Welcome to WT James.
Photos are the hard currency here, the more the better.
Feel free to post your photos as full sized images, we have plenty of digital space for them.

Rob

 

[AJC]

Hello James, and welcome! Nice to see another EM modeller about the place, especially one replicating the GER (a lovely railway, if one a fair way, geographically, from my interests down in the south west). I look forward to seeing more.

Adam

 

[James Spooner]

Many thanks for your interest. I have attached some more photos. The main difference is that I have now completed the station building and am working on the platform retaining walls so I can complete the scenery in that area. Hornby Claud, repainted as one of the Royal Clauds in the early 1950’s, two D&S GER etched brass carriages and a ‘bitza’ Gresley shortie (Mousa sides, lots of MJT and Hornby bogies).
Cheers
Nigel (James Spooner being a nod to the FR)

 

[AJC]

Great stuff (and the green Claude: beautiful). Thanks Nigel.

Adam

 

[John Duffy]

Very nice Nigel. The station building is lovely.

John

 

[Jordan]

Cheers
Nigel (James Spooner being a nod to the FR)

Good job you put that bit, I was going to say welcome James!!
Nice sense of space on your layout there. Nothing wrong with 'scattergun' interests either, it's a common affliction around here and all adds to the variety of the place.

 

[James Spooner]

Thanks all. Inspired now to get on with finishing the platform retaining wall and do some more scenery…
cheers
Nigel

 

[Chas Levin]

Nice coaches James!

 

[James Spooner]

Nice coaches James!

Thanks! The first two are D&S etched kits and the Gresley ‘shortie’ is a combination of Mousa sides, MJT ends, roof and underframe and some spare Hornby bogies, converted to EM. I’m just working my way through a Comet Gresley corridor compo but rather get the sense the roof wasn’t designed to be built with the rest of the kit. I have had to file the end castings down, reshape the ends of the roof and then do a cut and shut as the roof was shorter than the etched sides. Bit disappointing really.

 

[James Spooner]

 

[Chas Levin]

Roofs (rooves?) always seem to be the most troublesome parts of coach kits, I guess because they're the most complex shapes to reproduce. Is it a full length 61' 6"? If so, as a last resort, how about a Hornby donor?

 

[AJC]

I’m not sure I’d fancy bridging that gap. Isn’t there a suitable extrusion in the MJT range?

Adam

 

[James Spooner]

I’m not sure I’d fancy bridging that gap. Isn’t there a suitable extrusion in the MJT range?

Adam

In the end I did a cut and shut with four slices of 40thou plasticard and shaped it.

 

[Peter Cross]

Very nice get out of jail. Very nice build, what livery will it be finished in.

 

[James Spooner]

Thank you very much! It will be blood and custard as I model 1950’s in East Anglia.

 

[James Spooner]

This is the sort of finish I will be aiming for.

 

[James Spooner]

For many years I have had a Gibson F5, which ran perfectly well on my old ‘plank’ layout with 4’6” minimum radius curves, but not so well on the tighter out of sight curves on Elmham Market. It has sat in a display cabinet while I pondered its future. At ExpoEM a few weeks ago I saw Nick Ridgeway operate his F4 on the society test track. He built it as a flexichas with suitable tolerances for tighter curves. Thus inspired, I went down into the hall and bought some nickel silver sheet, EM frame spacers and London Road Models flexichas hornblocks. There followed a period of reading and re-reading Mike Shaman’s book on the subject, followed by taking the plunge and measuring, then cutting. The attached photos show progress to date. They will need to be a separate post as my iPad doesn’t seem to access all the photos on it for some reason.

 

[James Spooner]

 

[Joe's Garage]

Very nice modelling Nigel, welcome.
Julian