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THE SCALEFOUR SOCIETY 18.83 LAYOUT CHALLENGE |
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THE SCALEFOUR SOCIETY 18.83 LAYOUT CHALLENGE |
Low Roding by Philip McGovern
A study of any map of Essex will reveal up to eight hamlets and villages ending in 'Roding', scattered around the upper reaches of the eponymous river. Adding a ninth is thus not stretching credibility too far, although giving it a railway (which none of the others ever had) may be. It is not yet clear from my reading of the archives whether the railway reached Low Roding from the north (Dunmow), east (Chelmsford), south (Chipping Ongar) or west (Bishop's Stortford), all of which were of course served by the Great Eastern Railway; I hope to determine this in the next two years.
Be that as it may, in the mid-1860s the G.E.R. built a branch to terminate at Low Roding. As for all the company's rural branches, the line is single, terminating in one platform with engine release beyond. A second short platform face serves as a horse and carriage dock. A goods yard provides all the usual facilities for a rural population and also gives separate access to a maltings or similar works.
The layout is set around 1911, arguably the zenith of development of railways in Britain. Traffic consists of passenger services from whichever larger town the branch comes from and mixed goods trains. The line is fully signalled (or will be eventually) and is operated by train staff and ticket, thereby allowing two trains (usually a passenger and a goods) to arrive in sequence before one departs [unlikely given the size of the station, but it makes for more interesting operating and viewing].
Wiring will be simple - not because I don't understand how to do it, but because I want operation to be simple, without electrical switches, as it was in the time chosen for the layout. Similarly I hope to install a mechanical lever frame (possibly even with interlocking) as this seems to me the right 'philosophy' for a minor Edwardian branch line.
