Boston Frodsham
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 3:54 pm
Although I joined the society over 6 years ago I’ll confess to having just loitered on this forum having amassed the grand total of 11 posts in that time!
So, I thought it was maybe time to stick my head above the parapet and show you my attempts at P4 modelling.
I realise I’m addressing a very critical audience on here, I’d just ask you to go easy on me!
To start with – the layout, Boston Frodsham.
This was inspired by an article in a supplement called “Oil & Water” which appeared in the June 2005 edition of Traction Magazine showing the entrance to the docks at Boston (Lincolnshire, not USA), particularly the swing bridge. Copyright prevents me posting these photos but below are some I took on a visit there last year.
To add some operational interest I also decided to include the scrapyard on the wharf side at Frodsham in Cheshire but with a rail siding added. This would then give me the opportunity to build the Langley Models RB22 crane kit (I have a thing about cranes and bridges). See photo below.
Combining the two location names thereby gives the layout name.
The layout was originally intended to be 12 feet x 2 feet (plus fiddle yard) and two boards 4x2 were made up, the swing bridge constructed, some track built and laid and some scenic details around the scrapyard area put in place. Unfortunately my plans proved to be a bit ambitious mainly in that I had nowhere to store the layout, let alone set it up and operate it. As a result it languished about in various corners, suffering some damage as a result. The photo below shows the extent of the works completed.
I’ll have to admit the layout didn’t work very well, numerous derailments on the pointwork being the order of the day. To a degree I put this down to the use of the P4 Company point kits. Whilst these were excellent in themselves the problem (for me) arose due to all the components being pre-cut to exact length for that particular turnout. When it came to installing them on the layout I found myself trying to insert very short lengths (i.e. 1 inch) of plain track between them to get the overall alignment correct which just became a recipe for disaster. Also due the storage problems the steel rail soon started to rust severely.
Eventually I decided to cut my losses and rip all the track up and start again. This time I went back to my favoured method of building the trackwork in situ, using full 1 metre lengths of rail whenever possible (putting cosmetic breaks in as required). I also reverted to nickel silver rail. I opted to reduce the scenic area to 8 feet long just using the two boards already constructed thus showing the bridge and scrapyard area and only just the very ends of the exchange sidings. A track plan is shown below which I’ll acknowledge owes a lot to James Dickie’s Waterloo Street layout, but I have discussed this with him and he (appears) to be OK with it, we’ve even talked about me bringing it to Scalefour North at some time in the future!
As a train enters the layout from the right you will just see the loco and perhaps one or two one or two wagons you will have to imagine there are further wagons behind these, so the fiddle yard (a shelf with some cassettes) at this end will only be long enough to accommodate this. Trains crossing the bridge to go to the scrapyard and other works beyond will consist of a maximum of three wagons at a time and will be hauled by the 03 & 08 shunters (more details on these to follow), so again a short fiddle yard (cassettes again) only will be required at the left hand end. The idea will be to have the main board supported on self contained legs with the fiddle yard boards cantilevered off each end.
I’ll continue on a further post with details of the layout construction.
So, I thought it was maybe time to stick my head above the parapet and show you my attempts at P4 modelling.
I realise I’m addressing a very critical audience on here, I’d just ask you to go easy on me!
To start with – the layout, Boston Frodsham.
This was inspired by an article in a supplement called “Oil & Water” which appeared in the June 2005 edition of Traction Magazine showing the entrance to the docks at Boston (Lincolnshire, not USA), particularly the swing bridge. Copyright prevents me posting these photos but below are some I took on a visit there last year.
To add some operational interest I also decided to include the scrapyard on the wharf side at Frodsham in Cheshire but with a rail siding added. This would then give me the opportunity to build the Langley Models RB22 crane kit (I have a thing about cranes and bridges). See photo below.
Combining the two location names thereby gives the layout name.
The layout was originally intended to be 12 feet x 2 feet (plus fiddle yard) and two boards 4x2 were made up, the swing bridge constructed, some track built and laid and some scenic details around the scrapyard area put in place. Unfortunately my plans proved to be a bit ambitious mainly in that I had nowhere to store the layout, let alone set it up and operate it. As a result it languished about in various corners, suffering some damage as a result. The photo below shows the extent of the works completed.
I’ll have to admit the layout didn’t work very well, numerous derailments on the pointwork being the order of the day. To a degree I put this down to the use of the P4 Company point kits. Whilst these were excellent in themselves the problem (for me) arose due to all the components being pre-cut to exact length for that particular turnout. When it came to installing them on the layout I found myself trying to insert very short lengths (i.e. 1 inch) of plain track between them to get the overall alignment correct which just became a recipe for disaster. Also due the storage problems the steel rail soon started to rust severely.
Eventually I decided to cut my losses and rip all the track up and start again. This time I went back to my favoured method of building the trackwork in situ, using full 1 metre lengths of rail whenever possible (putting cosmetic breaks in as required). I also reverted to nickel silver rail. I opted to reduce the scenic area to 8 feet long just using the two boards already constructed thus showing the bridge and scrapyard area and only just the very ends of the exchange sidings. A track plan is shown below which I’ll acknowledge owes a lot to James Dickie’s Waterloo Street layout, but I have discussed this with him and he (appears) to be OK with it, we’ve even talked about me bringing it to Scalefour North at some time in the future!
As a train enters the layout from the right you will just see the loco and perhaps one or two one or two wagons you will have to imagine there are further wagons behind these, so the fiddle yard (a shelf with some cassettes) at this end will only be long enough to accommodate this. Trains crossing the bridge to go to the scrapyard and other works beyond will consist of a maximum of three wagons at a time and will be hauled by the 03 & 08 shunters (more details on these to follow), so again a short fiddle yard (cassettes again) only will be required at the left hand end. The idea will be to have the main board supported on self contained legs with the fiddle yard boards cantilevered off each end.
I’ll continue on a further post with details of the layout construction.