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THE SCALEFOUR SOCIETY 18.83 LAYOUT CHALLENGE
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THE SCALEFOUR SOCIETY 18.83 LAYOUT CHALLENGE
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Burntisland
by the East of Scotland 4mm Group
Location
Firstly, pronounciation: we are talking here of "Burnt — island',
situated on the north shore of the estuary of the River Forth; in the
Kingdom of
Fife, in fact.
Burntisland plays a key role in transport history, for it was here that
the
first roll on/roll off ferries entered service. The ingenuity of Thomas
Bouch
was responsible for the moving bridge connecting ship to shore. Prior
to the
building of the Forth Bridge, these train ferries, and the associated
passenger
ships, formed part of the link between Edinburgh and the east coast of
Scotland.
The model will eventually depict the ferries and the roundhouse, but
the section
entered for the competition is the first part to be constructed. It
will show
the terminus, the yard throat, where the line took off for the train
ferry and
the connection to the roundhouse. This is a dockland site, so the quay
walls
will be a quay(!) feature, with the imposing stone terminal building
behind.
Once the competition is past, the layout can grow at its own pace
staging the
addition of the loco shed with its roundhouse, the train ferry area and
varying
periods of the dock lines as desired. Not only that, the loco shed and
the train
ferry area can also each be exhibited independent of the main station
if
desired.
Period
1883, what else?
Operation
The period chosen enables us to show the passenger trains connecting
with the
ferries and the freight activity on and off the train ferries. So there
will be
much shunting. It should be borne in mind that the trains going north
still have
to negotiate a similar operation to cross the Firth of Tay to reach
Dundee. This
period means considerable research into train operation and signalling
of the
period, as well as a goodly amount of scratchbuilding.
Our view is that this site could inspire an attractive layout, and one
that
could also be a record of part of the town's history.
