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JUNE 2021 UPDATE
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STEVE HARROD
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HYWEL THOMAS
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PAUL JAMES
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PETE JOHNSON
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KARL CROWTHER
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KIER HARDY
In association with the virtual Expo EM 2021 event, this video has been put together outlining
the operation, concept and history of the layout.
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Little meets Large - 1/32nd scale D6331 in the background, with 1/76 scale Bachmann Warship D836
Powerful in the foreground which is now finished (apart from the Railtec rectangular shed code
sticker). One small task left is to remove the pencil lines for keeping the HRMS pressfix numbers
level (it's so much easier in 1/32nd for my ageing eyes)! I had removed the Bachmann numbers and BR
arrow, as I felt they were slightly too large. The alpha/numeric head codes are made up from a
headcode sheet I had from years back which I have scanned through my printer, it gives the correct
matt finish for the black background, and the headcodes represent the last 2 workings for D836 which
was photographed back in 1971 on 83A works yard.
My usual treatment was given to the bodyside using an artist's chisel to remove areas where the
presolith had dropped out, doing this gives it some depth as opposed to just painting it on! Using
photographs I have of D836 in late 1970 / early 1971 have enabled me to accurately model where all
the prestolith had dropped out from the bodyside. I have also painted the top of the door handrails BR Blue.
Showing the cab interior with a Modelu figure, painted using both enamel and acrylic. I have also
started work on D861 Vigilant in maroon small yellow panel, body separated from lower valance, and
EM conversion of the wheels and brake blocks adjusted accordingly. I am sticking (at the moment) to
the year 1971 for 83A works yard, so all liveries have to be accurate for this year, so Vigilant
sneaks in by just 3 days! Watch this space for updates.
Having a spare Bachmann NBL Warship body and a chassis given to me by James Bullock, it has enabled
me to make a start on the 2 Warships that I want to show inside the works low relief building. I
have positioned them inside and the idea really works, accomodating the cut cab ends as shown on
bogies which I have already converted to EM for this little project. 841 Roebuck with its centre
headcode box and air intake grills is the prime choice here, as I like the idea of people asking
me what Warship is inside the works - that will identify if they are a true Warship affectionado or
not! The other will be 865 Zealous.
I have the 83A Works Yard on the top of a cabinet at the moment, and Nick Trudgian is about to
start painting my backscene, which I am hoping will add to the overall theme of what I’m trying
to achieve. Another track needs to go in to the left of D859 and a small brick building.
On the 'to do' list is the painting of the works building. Robert Trevelyan who worked
at NA works in 1971 has been advising me on what all the out buildings were used for along with
some very inspiring anecdotal stories of working on not only hydraulic locos but also the Peaks,
so now I need to buy a Peak!
The next big task is the baseboard construction, which includes cutting out a section to accommodate
the traverser pit. Here's looking forward to a scene of the 83A works yard, with withdrawn Warships
D838 & D859 and Hymek D7024 awaiting their fate.
With the sand wharf office/loco shed finished work moved on to the silo alongside. The 10p toy
fair bargain has been mounted on concrete supports over the narrow gauge siding along with a Kibri
conveyor and a few other bits and now awaits some painting and a lot of weathering.
At the other end of the wharf, adjoining the backscene, three Faller silos from their
aggregate plant kit are being trialled to see how they might fit with the planned scene.
Presier walling has been used for the retaining wall on the raised siding while part of the
crusher from the Faller kit has been modified with a cut down Mainline iron ore wagon
body as a feed hopper. The first silo has been raised slightly to clear the railway beneath.
A conveyor has also been added using Faller and Kibri parts. The second silo will hide the
severed end of the conveyor where it abuts the backscene. Once again all this will require
some quite severe weathering – sea dredged sand silos were not noted for there smart painting!
The second silo adjoins a corrugated building that also forms the start of another conveyor
that will take foundry sand over the railway to the BSC foundry behind the wharf. This was the
only silo that was built as Faller intended. Further walls and part of the sand washer will sit
in front of this silo to create the familiar clutter common around these type of places. The right
hand image shows the two silos butted up together with the conveyor part hidden behind the right
hand example. Fitting the buildings, especially the roof, around the silos was a challenge and
involved a lot of trial and error with thin card and scissors! There may well be a mathematical
equation for such things but maths was never my strong point.
Next to be built was the long conveyor over the railway. This used a conveyor from an old kit of
unknown origin with a new roof. The roof used Campbell corrugated aluminium sheet curved around
a marker pen body and glued over card supports.
After assembly and spraying with primer the conveyor was tried in position. It is a push fit into
the support structure within the building to the right to allow everything to be removed when
needed. The structure at the foundry side still needs to be built beyond the gantry support.
Work now moves on to the third silo and the one with the most modifications. Here, surrounded
by plenty of detritus on the work bench, the base has been raised up using some of the many
handy spare parts that came with the Faller kit. This silo will also feature a conveyor and
various other add-ons. The various parts of the scene are seen here test fitted in place. The
raised structure will disguise the rail and road exit off scene. This part of the build proved
to be the most complex as it has to fit around two silos, each on a slightly different alignment.
The front wall was the only easy bit! The front of the structure was fitted with some rudimentary
interior detail, just about visible through the window (from a free Metcalfe Models platform
shelter). As this part of the structure grew, a quantity of ‘liquid lead’ weighting was added to
the hopper to counterbalance it.
Now with the next storey fitted (with a skylight to let some more light in and another
window) it can be seen how the various awkwardly shaped pieces fit around the silo and the
conveyor under the hopper chute. All the structures are clad in corrugated sheeting, which
will be heavily weathered.
Before the top coat and the weathering process can begin all the ten component parts were given
a spray of various rust colours. Here we see all of them drying nicely in the sun. Painting will
hopefully be completed by the next update. They’ll be light green but very heavily weathered as
all the local ones seemed to be rusted to the point of collapse. And then there’s the little
matter of the dredger - I've not even started that yet.
Progress on the last board to be extended width-wise can be seen here with the inset for the
point control slide switches - all fiddly stuff with lots of waiting around for glue to dry.
The inter-board connectors are shown here being made up using 25 way D plugs. The card pieces
give additional insulation protection between the rows of terminals.
With the baseboards turned onto their sides, it makes for easy final adjustment to the point
control linkages. Shown here with the connecting cable fitted.
This time Canada Street reflects events by the Orwell, beginning with the second half
of the 1960s. One of the three Hunslet ‘tram’ 0-4-0s negotiates the dock branch curve
with a short string of insulated vans.
Having dropped off the arrivals, the loco stables briefly as the crew discuss instructions
for the next task with the yard supervisor.
‘D2950’ moves up towards some assorted vans….
….and buffers-up with an ex-LNER plywood van on the plank crossing.
Sharing the work at Ipswich is one of the tram’s larger Hunslet 0-6-0 stablemates.
‘D2556’s driver waits for the shunter to make good the coupling onto a BR standard ply van.
As evening falls a grain trip collected from several wayside halts on the sleepy East
Anglian branches arrives behind Class 15 ‘D8229’.
‘D2556’ is seen again as it crosses onto the centre road of the busy yard.
The smaller Hunslet poses for the camera in front of a colourful backdrop.
A parting view of the yard before the great cull of the minor diesel shunter types
changed the scene forever. ‘D2950’ was sold into industrial use in South Wales and was
finally scrapped some 16 years later. ‘D2556’ found no further work and was broken up during 1968.
Just a few years later, and the beginning of a new decade, finds the BR Class 03 now
taking care of shunting in and around the Ipswich docks.
‘2135’ is pictured again as it rounds the curve into the docks.
The 35 ton BRT grain wagons remained in use for all of the ‘70s , although soon the poster
boards will be removed and the colourful paint will become dulled by grime.
We end this visit with the 03 resting in the low level sidings. Perhaps the driver has walked
down to the toilet block, or gone hunting a crisp bacon butty at Dee’s.
On the bench this month items for the interior of the biscuit factory on the layout are being
made. For the 2nd floor this freelance conveyor system will take the biscuits through some of
the finishing processes. I’m still hoping for inspiration on how to make the hundreds of small
round - equally sized - biscuits needed for the belt…..brown paper and hole punch pliers are
the best idea so far…..
The three mixing machines for the 3rd floor are at the front of this assortment, one is
being re-loaded for the next mix. Aerosol spray nozzles have been used for the bowls
and milliput putty for the dough mix.
Kendal’s 30-lever frame/switch panel, for which as you can see, I had the parts laser cut from
3mm MDF. This was mainly to get all the holes for the switches and LEDs evenly aligned. Note the
D-connectors along the bottom edge for connections to the layout. The ‘pull plates’ etc. are still
to be added. Eventually it’s planned to have a mechanical lever frame at both Kentside and Kendal.
Work in progress on wiring one of the Kendal baseboards. The two D-connectors either side of the
central stretcher are where the control panel will connect. Not the neatest of wiring, I confess,
though I am making good records of it all for future reference.
Stocking up on relay boards and MERG Servo 4 units. Should be enough here to keep me going for a
while, though it’s surprising how many you need…….
The rear of one of the Kendal baseboards showing mounting of servos and control circuitry. The
wiring will be tidied up once it’s all operational. You can also see the slots cut into the cork
to take the wire in tube.
Installing the wire-in tube (from Wizard Models). All very simple.
After last month's report on the pointwork construction and laying roads 8 to 11 at the back of
the extension board, the 1 to 5 roads have been mapped out which required 3 H&M point motors
relocating, so as to give a better geometery to the yard throat.
Showing the back end of the sidings with stop blocks secured in place. The curved point will fit
trailing into this section of the Up Kings Cross, giving access to road 6. The short road 7 will
be isolated completely and used for DMU vehicles which are easy enough to handle over to another track.
The sidings are laid from reclaimed pieces of track, blobs and all, so as well as providing
additional storage space, they can be used to form wagon rakes with an 08 shunter, preparing
a train with loco ready to head out onto the mainline.
The first point can be seen here awaiting a slide switch, with route number 1 back in use
as a through road, or for storage / headshunt.
Meanwhile, the locomotive fleet has been bolstered by a couple of recent additions. I've always
been interested in the West Coast Main Line 25KV electric locomotives, despite having nowhere
to run them under their own power. E3112 (a Heljan AL6 / Class 86) is seen at Hornsey Road depot
in the company of E3084 (a Bachmann AL5 / Class 85).
In between stints as display models in the cabinet, these 'Leccies' have had their electical
equipment isolated and the gear trains de-meshed for use as tow arounds or diesel hauled
diversions.
AL5 number E3084 is seen here being hauled by Peak 166 en-route from Willesden DED to Stratford
DRS for tyre turning. Both models have been enhanced with Fox etched stainless steel numbers and
double arrows fixed in place with Humbrol satin varnish, and finished off with light weathering.
The Heljan Class 86 model is let down by the 'clunky' pantograph which not only sits too high,
but is spoilt by the crude and overscale pressed steel bow. The mounting insulators have been
reduced in height and fitted with replacement brass wire spigots to allow the pantograph frame to sit
lower on the roof, and the pressed steel bow fettled with a grinding disc to make it less toy like
(shown with the lower side reduced in thickness).
AL6 number E3112 with the same customised treatment is seen heading back towards the WCML behind
BR Derby type 2 (Class 25/0) number 5173.
