GWR/LMS OO Gauge DCC RR&Co

Good-oh!  I'm just off to the shops to buy a bigger hat………:thumbs

Doug

[Purveyor of Fine Ideas to Discerning Modellers]

John is there a sq in on the layout with nothing happening?

An absorbing read - as usual.
You carry us along with you on your project.

A truly stunning scene John. :pathead

The rails look excellent and as many others have said, there's just so much to study on your layout that it springs to life and completely ceases to be a "model" railway - you seldom see anything closer to the real thing than the real thing itself.

There are enough "Header Photos" there to last us the whole of the rest of the year so there's no need for you to do anymore modelling now.

I just love it !!!! It's my kind of "scene" - the dirty industrial north, it's extremely well exectuted and the scenes are so totally believable.

As always thanks guys……I do feedback and on this occasion it sure helped:thumbs

Peter, you always write nice things about Granby …….but your last couple of comments have been particularly flattering and much appreciated :cheers:cheers

Having had the seal of approval from Doug……the holes have been drilled, plasticene removed and everything is now semi permanent


 

Here is a closeup of the Gibbet Crane with the new upright that I fashioned from some sprue and bits and pieces from Wills girders




I should have inset the "concrete base into the setts……but life is too short. The weathering and rust looks a bit overdone but the average viewing distance will be about 2' and I am beginning to think that sometimes it is better to apply it like theatrical make up……ie a little over emphasis works!

One of the outstanding jobs I had to complete was the back of the mill that filled in "the Ravine"




The Mill itself you have already seen……the challenge was to fill in the rear of the mill and the cutout area to the right of the line. 

I have added a scratch built boiler house, corrugated lean to and chimney

Dooferdog suggested many weeks ago that one solution would be to use up any surplus magic water…….and again I have taken his advice (current hat size Doug?) and added a Mill Lodge to supply the Boiler house



The space ( Pete "Wogga" please note :lol:) was going to be a timber yard but is now the designated site for a creamery

In the back you may see I have re modelled the approach arches to the viaduct 

This next shot shows all the add ons with the Goods Shed in the background



The ravine has been perpetuated with what I would call a beck and a somewhat hesitant essay at tree modelling






Anyone who has had the stamina to follow this saga from the beginning will recall that there was originally a small signal box in the area

It wasnt one of my better models so I wasnt too distressed when I leant forward  to get at the storage yard and inadvertently demolished it……not a very robust model

It has been replaced with a rebuilt and refurbished Wills Box from Granby II. Rebuilt because it faced the wrong way and refurbished because yet again I had left the back unpainted!




A small attempt at a time stamp…… I understand the locking room windows were bricked in during WWII to minimise blast damage…….made me realise how hazardous it must have been for the signal men in the cabin itself.

 On reflection the refurbishment was a bit too extensive………….more weathering is required

On the right of the box is the spoil left from excavating the Mill lodge. Doreen, who comes from Oldham was insistent that this was included.

Here is a closeup of the lodge and boilerhouse. I have no idea what function the pipes perform,,,,the intent is to suggest something rugged and of Victorian origin




Viewed from the other side






[user=450]wogga[/user] wrote:

John is there a sq in on the layout with nothing happening?

Very droll Pete:lol::lol:





Just watch this space

 

I love the little water cameos, John.   :thumbs

Great pictures John. It is looking superb.

Deffo the Collie's Cobblers :thumbs.

I think instead of modelling, I'll maintain a small list of A1 modellers to whom I can dispense words of wisdom and just sit back and watch it……OK, OK, I can hear you laughing from here…….I've got the ironing to do…..


Doug

Love it mate love it.

Phill

You certainly have vision John, it would be worth Nevard and co flying to Vancouver and work there photgraphic magic.

You deserve another header picture so do a nice tight one i can nominate.

Thanks Guys……as always glad you liked it

[user=450]wogga[/user] wrote:

You certainly have vision John, it would be worth Nevard and co flying to Vancouver and work there photgraphic magic.

Hmm……… I am afraid that good photography would expose even more clearly all the flaws created by my broad brush approach. My modelling isnt in the same league as Dougs for example.

You deserve another header picture so do a nice tight one i can nominate.

I will try Pete, incidentally I never thanked you for nominating me last time…..much appreciated :thumbs

Right now I am into heavy construction laying track for the main line junction so my next progress reports will not be very picturesque

Kind Regards

Inspirational.
Good pictures showing lots of imagination given life.

John,

Can I ask where in North Wales you have based this excellent layout ?

Stu

Ahh…………..I was afraid someone might ask that:oops:

Its supposed to be a joint GWR LMS line somewhere on the borders not far from Chester. The Birkenhead Chester line was actually jointly operated right up to 1947

The branch which is the completed part  is called Cynwyd which is in fact a small village that used to have a station on the LMS Corwen Line but in my setting it has grown and is now almost a suburb of Granby

It does seem that however inadvertently the locale has shifted further east probably because my memory (and my wifes) of the Industrial North is based more on East Lancashire (Oldham/Rochdale) rather than North Wales. This perception is heightened by a fairly large collection of East Lancashire coafield POs (ordering error)………..although to balance I have a rake of Vauxhall Colliery Ruabon wagons and a couple of Courtaulds Flint

Whatever, the Great Way Round never extended to the Pennines…..so the one word answer….Wrexham

(ps Thank you for the header nomination Stu……glad you like the layout…wherever it may be!)

Ah, that heavily industriallised East Lancashire / Welsh Borders town of Wrexham…  It doesn't actually matter where it's 'based' though, it's still a superb layout.

I only asked as I grew up in North East Wales, not too far from where I think DD lives, and my family have all gravitated back to Mold, so it's an area I know fairly well, just couldn't recognise it from your model.

Now that the canal segment is completed I thought it might be helpful to post an overall shot of the Railway room



In the foreground is the Canal duck under which can be identified by the Mill and Girder Bridge, to the left is the proposed location of Granby Station……..still not started…. and to the right the Cynwyd branch with storage sidings behind

The right hand side is effectively completed with the exception of the Creamery site and the entire right hand corner into which, in the immediate foreground, you can see a double track heading…….somewhere??

 



 

Well nowhere right now other than the lightswitch and a doorway…..which is the heart of the problem……this is the first thing you see when you come into the room……..which I do…….frequently. Originally I wanted some sort of static set piece…..its a long way from the control panel 

Initially there was going to be a coal mine served by the double track but for a variety of reasons I decided against it. 

The next shot shows part of the proposed solution



To the left the main line climbs out of the storage yard towards the viaduct. To the right the eight road storage yard with on the extreme right next to the wall a short spur





I was originally going to use the spur to shuttle commuter trains with tank engines however I have come up with a potentially better solution 




This is a Fleischmann Turntable that I bought many years ago. Although rarely used, until a few weeks ago it was firmly attached to the last remnants of Granby II. I had hoped to incorporate this into Granby III but eventually  decided it was better to make a fresh start. This released the turntable….

In an ideal world a Passenger train will enter the storage yard….the tender engine will  uncouple….enter the turntable and return to take the train back to Granby……all automatically with RR&Co…………nothing like aiming high…….I suspect there will be a lot of nautical phrases and RLW before that is achieved,



Particularly as I plan to start with a 3 way point!

As you can see the TT fits perfectly into the space…….I intend to mask the entrance to the storage yard with an L shaped Scalescene warehouse with the trains running underneath……………….thank you Mojo for that piece of inspiration:thumbs

The warehouse will take a while……seems an ideal job for the summer

The TT will be primarily operational but it be visible and have some limited detailing…..I will extend the viaduct walling to the light switch and that should serve as a reasonable visual link with the front of the layout




Which leaves me with a narrow 10" x 60" strip with twin tracks  leading towards the doorway. It is not practicable; to incorporate a run around loop so I am inclined to leave one track for storage and the other as a single line branch for a push pull terminating in a rather run down station……..ideally this would be LMS but currently there are no RTR LMS push pull and although I have one on the work bench……its been there for 10 years………I fear it will have to be GWR .

Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated 

 

 

 

The turntable idea is brilliant, John.  Some TC conundrums for sure.  :thumbs

Crawling through that lot must keep you supple, John.

It's the first time I have appreciated your layout in context - super.

John i assume the entrance is under the canal, do you not get a wet back crawling under?:lol:

With all that sailing i guess you are use to tight spaces.

Its looking good John!

Regards

Pete

Could you make the twin tracks into :

1. a fan of carriage sidings ?
2. coal / ash sidings to supply / service the tracks around the TT ?
3. a small brewery or abatoir complex (lots of sheep in wales…)

Stu