Aldeburgh Harbour, A Suffolk branch, Gauge 3 indoors.

[geoff_nicholls]

View attachment 36830View attachment 36831 In earlier postings about a Great Eastern E22(J65) I'm building in gauge 3, I included some photos of my (micro) layout. Well, the E22 and another loco had problems running through the turnouts on that layout, so it has been replaced by a similar ,mirror image, layout using Cliff Barker's track.
The new layout is portable, as my aspiration is to take it to exhibitions. As before the scenic area is 2.1m by 60cm, the fiddle yard 1.9m, but it will now allow a 0-6-0 tender loco or a class 25 diesel to run around a train. There is less track, but I've been able to find space for a wagon turntable giving access to a wharf with buildings and track laid in granite setts.
My modelling tastes are varied so there are two interchangeable platforms; one 1 foot above rail level, for early railways or light railways such as the Thaxted branch, the other standard height for my main interest GER 1911, or more modern stuff. for the latter I'll probably just cover the wagon turntable with a lorry.
The 08 shunter was also the subject of an early posting, the photos show it with a fresh coat of paint by Liz Marsden of Cromford Designs. It still needs details added.
The locos will all be electric RC so there is no power to the track.
I will add further posts, as things progress.

 

[Jordan]

Another post where the "Like" button is just so inadequate...

Micro-layout (relatively!! )
EWS Class 08.
R/C control.

You tick a few "Forum interest" boxes, there, Geoff!!

 

[Mike W]

Looking good Geoff. Denise asks about the sky - is that painted or paper? It looks very good and if its paper then, as Eric would say "you can't see the join".

Mike

 

[geoff_nicholls]

The sky looks that good due to the unfocused camera work. It's just white emulsion clouds on a pale blue background(white emulsion with a touch of acrylic blue)
I was impressed by the sky in that new 'Far North' posting last week.

I've just sent off the artwork for the high platform brickwork for a quotation. The parts for the wagon turntable are being laser cut in MDF as I write this, but this still an experiment, I don't know how well it will work.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

 

[geoff_nicholls]

The two new photos show the gated entrance to the wharf with some of the granite setts laid. The setts are sold as resin cast panels approx. 85mm wide by 180mm by Williams Models. They are desgned to be interlocking, as you can see. My layout is intended to be exhibited, and will be manhandled, so the panels are both glued and screwed to the board. I used no 2 screws, each in a countersunk hole drilled in the centre of a sett. They will be concealed by filler later.
The strips between the rails are curved by soaking them in boiling water, then stretching one side while still hot. I used 'O' gauge rail for the check rails.
Once past the actual wharf, the towpath is just coarse sandpaper.
The whole of the front of the layout will be the wharf, with a facing of wood, like that at Benwick in Cambridgeshire.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

 

[geoff_nicholls]

The wagon turntable is based on a photo by John Watling of one at Downham Market 15 ft diameter, which was included in his article on GER wagon turntables in the GERS Journal. I'm using 3mm square aluminium rod for the rails. The table will ride on small pulley wheels fixed in the base. I found these on sale from Cornwall Model Boats, where I buy my rivets.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

 

[geoff_nicholls]

These photos show the gate for the wharf siding in place. I've modelled it on those on the Epping Ongar line. Both it and the fencing are from Garden Railway Specialists. The gate opens and closes, but needs some cosmetic strapping to make it more prototypical. The balsa square is where some footboards will be for the person opening the gate.
I've done quite a bit of searching online to see if there were any rules about gates like this being allowed to open 'inwards' to the railway. I haven't found anything that forbids it yet, but if anyone out there knows better, please let me know, as there is still time to have a rethink. I have placed a large post to ensure the gate doesn't swing into the run round loop.
The white stump in the foreground marks where I'm thinking of putting a small crane.

 

[David Taylor]

I like the coaches. And the rest of it. But lovely coaches.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

They're D & S GER four wheelers, blown up from 7mm then the etched sides were glued to a ply body. Dan had already done this for someone else so he already had castings for the springs and axleboxes. They are excellent castings.
I couldn't resist adding the birdcage roof on the brake, and painting them teak, although both of these are wrong for the ret of my stock which is post-1902.
I'm looking for 13 GER gas lamp tops for these coaches, if anyone out there has something suitable? (and westinghouse brake pipes)

 

[Mike W]

Geoff,

Are these the lamps with very tall chimneys? Only gas lamp tops I've seen in our scale are my flatter LNWR ones. You are welcome to have one and see if you can adapt it or, if you make pattern I'd be happy to get them cast in brass for you and add them to my range. My own lamp tops have very long tails going right down to cantrail level, and then a 4BA thread, so with bars across the tops of the sides they can be used to screw the roof in place.

Mike

 

[Mike W]

I should have added that on the prototype there is a wooden pad on the roof onto which the lamp sits. On the model that is a separate piece with curved lower face to match the curve of the roof, and a flat top - a sort of special washer.

Mike

 

[geoff_nicholls]

here are a couple of photos showing progress so far on the wharf. The layout is provisionally named Aldeborough Wharf, extending the actual Aldeborough branch to the river Alde. The large building was a Playmobil Doll's house that used to be the Tramway offices for my LGB tramway. I'm hoping to tone the colour scheme down and use it as a Custom House (after the examples at Ipswich and Kings Lynn). As I said previously, what you see is pretty much all there is of the layout, the rest, to the left and behind the camera, is fiddle yard.
I had wondered if I could include a Thames sailing barge docked at the wharf, but in this scale it would take up the whole of the frontage and might make it difficult to reach the turnouts or couple the wagons. Still, I know there is a Thames Barge modelling Society, and if any of the members has a 1/24th scale barge, when I exhibit the layout next year, I wouldn't mind having a go.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

 

[geoff_nicholls]

A photo of the wharf in early guise, with a low platform and some Eastern Counties Railway stock. The Open 3rd 'Excursion' carriages were still in use in the 1850's, there is a photo of a train at Harwich station, which opened in 1854.
The other photo shows an alternative version with a narrow canal. It only takes a few minutes to unbolt and swap the two frontages. The transhipment shed is a mixture of the one at Whaley Bridge and Samuel Oldknow's warehouse at Marple, both on the Peak Forest Canal (where I spent my childhood). it also conceals the wagon turntable, which is not removable. In this form I expect mostly to be running late 1950's early 1960's BR limestone traffic. The Sentinel VB loco being developed by John Candy will fit in nicely.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

 

[geoff_nicholls]

Another post to show things are progressing.
I reasoned Aldeburgh wharf could be either 1909 or 1959 merely by changing the people and vehicles. A J39 is on order from Richard Toplis (my retirement present to myself) It's a bit heavy for this branch, but nobody produces a J15. I'm hoping to exhibit the layout at my club's exhibition next year so I needed something quickly. the first item of 1950's rolling stock is nearly finished: a GRS RCH 7 plank, weathered to within an inch of its life. Aldeburgh was pretty much silted up by about 1914, but in my version it didn't so there will be plenty of fishing paraphernalia on the wharf, and I'm reading Hervey Benham's books to try and get the details right.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

Re-reading Peter Paye's book on the Aldeburgh branch, I discovered the passenger services in 1961 were sometimes provided by Derby Lightweight DMU's. They were used a lot more at the same time on the Manchester - Hayfield branch, more or less the location of this layout in it's narrow canal wharf guise. And I used to ride on them myself when young, so have fond memories. So it would be great to have a two car set for the layout. In gauge 3 that means scratch building, not a difficult job if you can get decent drawings. If .
I downloaded the Derby C & W drawings list from the NRM's website and had a trip up there with a wish list. I think I've got the body sorted, but there were no drawings showing the underframe.
Does anyone out there know of any suitable drawings? I'll be going to Ecclesbourne to look at the real thing in Spring, but it would be nice to have something to work with before then.
Meanwhile 50 years earlier, the J65 is about to get it's first real test run at the G3 soc AGM and it's curtains for the carriages, literally that is, at least in first class. And the Edwardian passengers arrived in the post, Preiser, and very pricey.