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'OO' Gauge News There are two layouts under construction. We have moved the Olney Station Project in OO fine scale, to its own page, because of the size of the project. For the Olney Station Project, click here. We have a small DCC layout under construction, which will give the club a project, whilst the major Olney project is being designed. This will also allow the club to develop DCC skills. 'N' Gauge News Market Cross Market Cross was the layout constructed for the club's September 2011 exhibition. The following is a brief history of the station - The first line to reach Market Cross Junction was the broad gauge Great Western route from Cherbridge that was intended to connect with the main lines to the north at Rugglewick. Money for the project ran out when it became clear that the broad gauge would be confined to the route from Oxford through Leamington and Birmingham to Wolverhampton. Construction stopped in 1854 and a station was established at the end of the line, close to the ancient and isolated market cross from which it gained its name. The branch was converted to standard gauge in 1864. In 1872 the London & North Western Railway built what was intended to be an alternative route from Neenford to Birmingham. It made a junction with the GWR branch at Market Cross and continued northwards, but, again, sufficient capital was not forthcoming and it terminated at the village of Mogwick. The line was cut short to terminate at Market Cross in 1952. In 1957 the line from Cherbridge to Market Cross is operated by the Western Region of British Railways, and that from Neenford by the London Midland Region. The principal services are as follows: Western Region: Four daily return passenger workings from Cherbridge. The second train of the day and the evening arrival consist of through coaches to and from Paddington. A pick-up freight train is worked from Cherbridge when required. London Midland Region. Four daily return passenger workings from Neenford, operated by diesel multiple units except when carrying through coaches or parcels vans. A daily freight working, chiefly bringing in coal. Inter-regional services. An old-established through service from Yarmouth to Swansea. A single coach in each direction is passed between the two regions in the early afternoon. The "Crossy Pools", an accumulation of coal empties from the Western Region which runs from the marshalling yard at Cherbridge to Market Cross where it reverses and is worked out by an LM locomotive which takes the train, after a further reversal, to Nuneaton. 
 Market Cross Explained. Several people have asked questions about the scenario and timetable for the Market Cross. The layout was conceived, long before I joined the Club, as a station somewhere in the south Midlands, served in the 1950s by trains from both the Western and London Midland regions. The members principally responsible for building it named it Market Cross shortly before its completion. The scenario and timetable should be seen as an historical collage rather than a work of fiction. The ex-Great Western line from Cherbridge (perhaps Banbury on the River Cherwell) owes something to the Oxford, Fenny Compton & Rugby (Rugglewick?) Railway that was abandoned in the fields near the village of Knightcote, where the earthworks of its junction with the line from Banbury to Leamington can still be seen. The London & North Western route from Neenford (Northampton on the River Nene?) is loosely based on the line that ran from Weedon through Daventry and Long Itchington to Marton Junction on the line from Rugby to Leamington, that was opened in 1895. Some members may remember the push-and-pull trains from Northampton via Blisworth to Leamington hauled by Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2Ts that hurtled noisily along the West Coast Main Line several times a day in the early 1950s. Of the trains that served Market Cross the first arrival and departure of the day are modelled on the service on the Bletchley - Banbury line. The evening train from Bletchley, before the inauguration of diesel railcar services in 1956, consisted of a two-car non-corridor set of the type introduced on most local services from Bletchley in 1935, plus a much older bogie coach with toilets provided for each compartment, in which the fittings were marked WCJS (West Coast Joint Stock). The latter was left behind at Banbury (Merton Street) while the two coach set worked back to Bletchley. The following morning a 4MT 2-6-4T, of either LMS or standard design, would arrive at Merton Street with a bogie brake van, usually of Mark I design, carrying mail and parcels. It was worked back to Bletchley with the solitary non-corridor coach as the 07.15 departure, which gave Banbury's railway enthusiasts a satisfyingly long day on the main line from Euston. The other local services and the through train to Paddington are based on common practice and have no particular precedents, but the through service between Yarmouth and Swansea owes something to a development announced for the summer timetable of 1908 after the completion of a new junction between the GWR and LNWR lines at Leamington. The train (more probably a through carriage) left Cardiff at 10.20 and travelling via Newport, Cheltenham, Stratford and Hatton, reached Leamington at 13.30, then departed via Marton Junction, Rugby, Market Harborough, Wansford, Peterborough, March and Norwich to reach Yarmouth at 18.55 and Lowestoft at 19.18. I don't know how long the service survived. The 'Crossy Pools' is based on a post-Second World War working in the West Midlands that was particularly unpopular with locomen, because it was usually provided with a worn-out engine ready for shopping, if not scrapping. Almost all private owner coal wagons were pooled during the War and remained so after nationalisation. Amongst many apparently rather strange workings taking empties back to collieries was one known as the 'Kiddy Pools', that ran from the sidings at Kidderminster through Stourbridge Junction, Wombourn and Tettenhall, avoiding Wolverhampton, and then through Shifnal and Wellington to Market Drayton, where the empties were handed to a London Midland Region loco that took them to one of the collieries served by ex-North Staffordshire Railway lines. It might have appeared more logical to take the empty wagons to Highley Colliery on the Severn Valley Railway, not far from Kidderminster, or to one of several collieries that were still working in the 1950s along the train's route through the Black Country and the Shropshire Coalfield, but doubtless there was a reason for dragging them to North Staffordshire. The special from the Nene Valley Railway is only made possible by extending the chronology of the layout, but it is worth it to see that magnificent German 0-6-0 running on the layout. It is to be hoped that its chimney and cab did not fall foul of too many bridges. Thanks to Barry for the above documents USA Project From here to “over there” Two club members are working on a layout concept which is a departure from the club’s other modelling projects presently in the development stage. Adrian, long term member of Olney MRC, has his roots in continental modelling with a keen interest in German railways and heavy haul freight in particular. Eamon, a newcomer to the club and resurrected railway modeller is interested in Irish prototypes. Eamon rekindled his interest of American railroading from childhood when visiting a local model shop, whilst there, he noticed a second-hand locomotive and passenger equipment of the Chicago. North western Railroad. The die was cast, so to speak. Adrian became interested in things American when he purchased a Union Pacific “Centennial” diesel locomotive, the real thing was one of the most powerful in the world. He didn’t have any plans to expand his American collection, however, during subsequent visits to shows and swap meets, he realised that to do justice to the loco some long freight drags were needed. The Concept. The article’s title hopes to give readers the impression of what American “Dough Boys” felt like when coming to Europe during the first World War, only in reverse. Almost every aspect of American railroading is different to that of British practice, the only constant is that the gauge width is the same on both systems. Both modellers spent time researching their respective choices of railroad company, the problem being their modelling likes and time periods made it somewhat difficult to marry to real life operation. A solution was found to the need’s of both modellers when a OO gauge plan published in an American model railroad magazine came to light. The plan was for a small freight facility adjacent to a multiple track mainline which would be compact enough to be portable and yet provide enough operating scope to be interesting to operators and viewers alike. Over time, the basic requirements were agreed and a rough N gauge layout design took shape. Both club members wanted to run as much of their growing collection of locos and stock to fill the trackage envisaged. The scene was set to recreate a fictional location outside of Chicago on one of C.N.W. main line’s to the west. The Union Pacific has trackage rights on this line as far as Chicago’s massive transfer yards, so allowing both companies trains to operate. The layout’s time period was set at between 1960 and 1980 allowing as much of a variety of traction power and freight and passenger equipment to run with some authenticity. American railroading is very forgiving about what authentic time periods are, as nothing goes to waste and equipment introduced in the 1950’s would not look out of place in the 1980’s. Two distinct freight handling areas are modelled, the larger caters for intermodel and auto rack (car- transporter) operation with a spur off the mainline to a concealed fiddle yard and on the opposite side of the through tracks a small fuel and chemical terminal. The mainline has four tracks to the east merging into double track heading west. The freight facilities provide for lengthy unit trains with lots of “switching” (shunting) involved and the through lines allow for coal, box car, sundries and passenger traffic. Traction for all trains is diesel, built from the early 1960’s to “first appearance” of modern locomotives seen today on American rails. Both Adrian and Eamon hope to add further detail in future articles, as the project progresses and maybe include layout plans and some photo shots to add interest. As the two modellers have different levels of experience and skills, they hope it will serve as a helpful guide to others and also provide some entertainment. Adrian and Eamon want to thank all the other club members for their interest, helpful comments, materials and working space at the club’s home. If you found this article interesting and want to know more about any aspect of railway modelling, please do not hesitate to contact the club secretary or just come on down. You’ll be very welcome. The American Dream. Part two of an occasional series of articles about layout design and construction. First Steps. The first article posted on the club’s website in September 2010 (above) attempted to give a flavour of what the project to build an American layout was about. This instalment hopes to fill in some more detail and update the reader on matters since. What’s in a name? Before the reader goes any further, Adrian and Eamon need to complete one simple detail to continue their tale. The “American layout” is all well and good, however, any self respecting model railroad needs an appropriate title, a name to inspire. The place modelled needed to be near the factual location (Chicago) to give reason for the trains and railroad companies involved. It needed to be on a mainline to allow lots of operating potential, but far enough out of the metropolis to manage the size of trackside industries. Therefore, "Chicago, West Tower", became the modellers' choice of name. The location exists and is on a main Chicago - Illinois route operated by Burlington, Northern, Santa Fe (BNSF). The Plan. As already explained, our modellers' choice of track plan suited their needs and fitted the space available, with a few alterations. At this point it is always useful to take time to think through how the layout will progress. Some weeks were spent ironing out details and what each modeller hoped to achieve with Chicago West Tower. Time spent considering all eventualities at an early stage is well worth the effort. Track Plan of Chicago West Tower.  For the full view please click on the diagram The Baseboard. Adrian and Eamon’s baseboard choice for Chicago West Tower was partly decided by having seen the results achieved by another club’s offering of an American layout on a grand scale, they felt that the baseboard construction techniques used for that layout suited their purposes. A door sized sheet of good quality 18mm plywood donated by our club, assisted in deciding the construction method. The sheet was just over two metres long and that dictated the length of the operating area of the layout. A circular saw was used to cut 90mm lengths to form all the frame timbers for the four baseboard sections needed, these being the operating, fiddle yard and two end boards. A sheet of 9mm MDF board was used as the baseboard surface and was again cut to one 45cm section, one 31cm section and finally two 45cm end sections. The frames were attached or jointed to the cut MDF boards and each other with screws, glue was not used as all the separate parts can be recycled at a later date if need be. Once the baseboard sections were assembled and sanded to a satisfactory standard, the next step was to construct the legs on which the baseboards would stand. Again an American method was employed which Adrian and Eamon felt would cope with the weight of the sections and be readily dismantled for storage when not in use. Two lengths of 18mm X 69mm soft wood were screwed together to form an L shape, in all four were made to the same height of 110cms which was felt to be a comfortable operating height. Then a length of the same size timber was cut and bolted to the L legs to form a H section. These were then bolted to the four baseboard sections, as seen in accompanying photo. Cross braces were added to secure the legs lengthways and after initial assembly, two struts were added to support the end baseboards. Finally, small lengths of 44mm X 44mm timber was screwed to the floor ends of each leg so that “Tee” nuts could be inserted allowing bolts to act as levellers for any uneven areas of the club’s or exhibition site floors.  For the full view please click on the photograph Once the sections and supports were fully assembled, checks were made with a spirit-level to ensure the whole structure was as true as possible. At this point it was necessary to sand down some areas of the baseboard to achieve a smooth joint over which the track would run between sections. Once completed the whole structure was taken apart and made ready for the next stage of track preparation, track laying and installing electrical circuits to power the trains. Each of these modelling techniques will form the topics of future articles. Everyone at the club hopes the reader has enjoyed this latest addition to the Olney Model Railway Club website and would welcome any comments or questions you may have. Accompanying Photographs  For the full view please click on the photograph  For the full view please click on the photograph  For the full view please click on the photograph  For the full view please click on the photograph  For the full view please click on the photograph The American Dream - delayed. Part three of an occasional series of articles about building a railroad layout. What happened then. The second article of this occasional series left the reader with some idea of the detail in planning an American small scale layout and showed the first steps in baseboard construction. The article hoped to give the reader an impression of the track plan design chosen, some information on construction techniques used and the results. Our modellers efforts were curtailed somewhat in the first half of 2011 by circumstances which so often mean that "real life" takes the forefront. Hopefully, the two modellers can now resume their journey and create that dream of a completed and working layout. When a plan comes together (almost). One of the reasons that gave Adrian and Eamon the most enthusiasm in starting their American project, was the idea to make the layout using some construction techniques and methods not normally used by British railway modellers. This departure was centred around the method of constructing the baseboard. The modellers hope that the photographs taken by John, another club member, in the last article gave the reader a good illustration of what could be achieved with the materials at hand. Once the separate baseboards forming the front, sides and storage area had been assembled on the uprights it became obvious that additional support was required to level the end boards with the main frames. How best this could be achieved took some consideration, as both modellers wanted to keep weight down and maintain an uncluttered appearance. Another reason was to shorten the time taken to erect the whole thing, if it were of a standard to exhibit. The final choice for supports was made after some cheap shelving bars became available. The angular construction of the bars made for sturdy upward support and were easy to bolt to the separate baseboard components. The supports could be attached at quite a sharp angle, keeping the length and therefore the weight to a minimum. As the club's other modelling projects needed floor space, the modellers agreed to move the baseboards to a garage site for assembly and trial in preparation for the next task. The next steps. Having moved the baseboards and eliminated that problem, work began at the new site on covering the baseboard surfaces with cork sheet to provide a foundation for the track to bed on. For those readers unfamiliar with this idea, a covering of cork is glued to the wood forming the top of the baseboard, to cushion and help secure (pin) the track work and provide a foundation for scenery. In this particular case, 305 x 305 x 3.2mm cork flooring tiles were chosen for the job as they are easily available from D.I.Y. stores, are an economical way of covering larger surfaces and can be cut without too much difficulty. There are other ways to do the same job and our modellers will give some detail when it comes to laying track. A little bit of time taken to complete this part of construction is well worth investing in, as it will make all the difference. The basic task now is to cover each separate baseboard in its assembled form. If the reader does decide to follow this method, please remember to use a compatible glue or adhesive that is safe to use and will stick the tile to your baseboard. Cork tile packs generally give instructions for using in a domestic situation, and some of the requirements may not need consideration in a modelling situation, if in doubt, ask someone in your chosen retail outlet for advice. Tiles are attached to the joint areas first to "butt" the edges so no gaps appear and the cork sheets are flush on the separate boards. As the American prototype uses a substantial base of ballast for the permanent way, any slight height differences could be adjusted when the time came to add individual track roadbed on top of the base cork. To ensure that the cork tiles were glued properly, one baseboard was tackled at a time. The reason being that care was taken positioning each tile, the adhesive remained workable and the modellers had enough weights to press the tiles to the drying glue. Once satisfied that the cork tiles were secure, our modellers prepared for the next step in the layout construction. Track considerations. One firm decision taken at the early planning stage was that the track should look American and whilst looking at the track available from different manufacturers there was only one real possibility that should be considered. Although both a leading British and Japanese track manufacturer had many qualities, only an American track would look the part and give the railroad that "prototype look". Our modeller's chose flexi-track over other forms of available systems as it gave the most flexibility (pun intended) cost effectiveness and durability. A search on the internet led the modellers to retailers who could supply the items and after consideration one was chosen to supply the required pointwork and flexi-track needed to duplicate the track plan. Anyone deciding to follow in our modellers footsteps could, once their choice of track type and manufacturer has been decided, make some templates of the points being used to see if the plan works on the space available. A British track manufacturer does provide scale drawings of it's points which the modeller can copy and pin to the cork topped baseboard to judge if the plan will fit the space. It is at this stage when the point templates are all pined in place, the amount of plain track needed can be calculated and purchased at the same time. As points come in differing sizes, either small, medium or large, this will need to be considered when piecing the plan together for the room each point takes up, the minimum radius available and visual appearance. As this point, the modellers will take a break. In the next instalment, our modellers will update the reader on the layout's progress and describe how the track is fixed to the baseboard. The article will also introduce the reader to electrical wiring and what powers the trains. Anyone wanting an introduction to, or to expand their knowledge of railway modelling electrics, might find an article published on this website, (Click Here to view) dealing with basic wiring principles, of interest. |
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Northampton and DistrictModel Railway ClubExhibition Saturday 21 July 2012 Weston Favell School Booth Lane South Northampton NN3 3EZ British, Continental and American layouts in all gauges and types. click here for more details. |
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