Hello everybody...it's me again, back with more tales and adventures to continue the epic Corkscrew-Lines saga...Dreadful!
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| There is no "Duff" news this update regarding the Corkscrew-Lines future! |
Home Sweet Home - Again!
This is an update full of fantastic news for the future of the Corkscrew-Lines albeit slightly tainted by continuing frustration over my health and ongoing issues regarding my pro-lapsed disc. More of that later, for now let's dive straight in with the great news that a new family home has been found, and barring any major catastrophes, we will once again be residing in beautiful Sussex in a little over 2 weeks time.
A blog about model railways is not an appropriate place to discuss our family decision making process and the reasons why after 10 happy years living in the Fens we decided upon a return to Sussex. Let's just say most of the reasons why Lincolnshire made perfect sense a decade ago are no longer relevant so on balance a return to the South seemed the logical thing to do. Unfortunately, in the context of the Corkscrew-Lines, a return to a part of the country where property prices are roughly double what we have become used to could have had significant consequences for the future of the layout. Happily, a suitable replacement Jones-Towers has been found which should, with some revised thinking, provide an excellent home for a continuation of the Corkscrew-Lines with the same basic concept, ambition and crucially modelling scale. Yes my lovely little Corkettes...the mk2 layout will remain OO-Gauge and based on a 1960's secondary mainline theme in the West Country. Hellfire!
I will go into more detail regarding the space available at the new house and share my initial thoughts on the revised design for CL-2 later in this update.
Cripple Sidings!
To be absolutely honest with you all, I have made very little progress with my aspirations regarding kit building, rolling stock modifications and coupler fitting whilst living in the rented house. This is very disappointing as I feel an excellent opportunity to do a lot of modelling has been lost. However, I did as much as I realistically could under the circumstances. In the last update I told you how I had been suffering with a pro-lapsed disc and I was hoping for an appointment with a surgeon so an operation could be arranged. As an alternative to surgery, a couple of months ago I was offered the opportunity to have guided injections into my spine using a CT scanner. The procedure was carried out in the back of a lorry!...who'd have thought it? Unfortunately, despite some early promise, the injections failed to help so I am now waiting for another MRI scan and then a date for the long awaited surgery on the damaged disc.
This ongoing back issue has not only meant I cannot sit at a table for extended periods - therefore reducing my modelling opportunities, but also made me think long and hard about how the next layout should be constructed and operated. I am considering revising the heights for the baseboard levels to ease back strain and also revising my modular construction system to cut down on any unnecessary weight when moving layout sections. I will go into further detail later regarding this but for now I want to apologise for not having much to show you all and I hope you will continue to bear with me for a little longer. Hopefully when the back operation has been successfully carried out and now that a new home has been found I can soon start to make proper layout progress again.
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| Some kit building has been attempted |
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| But progress has been slow and painful at times |
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| Gives a whole new meaning to the expression "fell off the back of a lorry!" |
New Arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines
There has only been one significant arrival since my last update and what a cracking model it is...Oh My Lords! - Dreadful!
If you are a regular reader of these musings (I recommend you seek medical help!) then you will no doubt have realised by now I have a passion for anything 1960s Diesel-Hydraulic. My favourite locomotive class? The wonderful Whizzos of course...Hellfire! You can imagine my delight when Cheltenham Model Centre announced a limited edition model (300 locos only) of D1015 Western Champion last year. The loco would of course be in it's unique Golden Ochre livery and be based on the current state of the art Dapol model. I immediately ordered one!
Well I may be permanently stabled on the cripple road but today Corky is a very happy "Ned" indeed. This morning my loco arrived complete with limited edition certificate - number 168 of 300, and even included an absolutely gorgeous retro box as a bonus. The roof panel lifting eyelets are already fitted as are the nameplates and number plates. After 30 minutes running on the test track the conclusion...Absolutely Dreadful! What a gorgeous model. I understand only around 50 models remain unsold and whilst £150.00 is a lot of money for a Dapol Western when you get used to spending £110.00 at Hattons for standard versions, you get what you pay for for. Incidentally, £10.00 of the purchase price goes to the Diesel traction Group to help maintain the full size beast. Don't hesitate...get one!
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| Gorgeous packaging, certificate and fantastic model - Groovy! |
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| What a Wonderful Whizzo! |
Manufacturer Announcements
Because Bachmann in the UK is celebrating it's 25th birthday this year, the normal new model announcements were postponed from March until July. Last year when I sat in the signal box at Farnham I remember being blown away by the range of locos and wagons that were announced. Highlights included a re-tooled Warship, an ex LMS Inspection Saloon and Warflat wagons! In the year that followed there were numerous well reported issues with the China based manufacturing of these and other items. Hornby too have struggled to bring models to market and increased costs in China have meant model prices have risen and deliveries have slowed. With this as a background, I awaited the official announcements from Barwell with trepidation a couple of weeks ago. To be honest, I really want to receive all of the outstanding pre-ordered models before I consider yet more new stock with an unknown delivery date and much increased cost. Well I could breathe a sigh of relief because nothing Bachmann announced tickled my fancy at all so I will consider 2014 a year of consolidation. Hopefully when the 2015 announcements are made my outstanding pre-order list will be much shorter.
Well if Bachmann didn't get me excited then Rapido Trains of Canada certainly did! When they announced a model of the gas turbine powered APT-E complete with working lights, tilting mechanism and factory fitted DCC sound and for only £325.00 for a 4-car train, I nearly fell off my chair! Oh My Lords! I know what you are thinking...how is a 1970s BR blue experimental train which never ran in revenue earning service going to fit in with my 1960s theme? Well it isn't. But when all the Corkettes arrive with boxes of BR blue stock for a CLAG event I too will now have something to run. This is an iconic train which I have loved since I was a boy. Think about it...10 Leyland Gas-Turbine engines and a top speed of almost 155mph. Have I pre-ordered one?...You bet your life I have. This is the model railway bargain of the year!...Dreadful!
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| Fantastic APT-E coverage in Model Rail magazine |
Another new manufacturer making product announcements was Dave Jones of DJM. He has announced something extremely interesting, a class 71 DC electric loco. The model will be issued in BR Green and BR Blue and is another iconic Southern Region loco. You would think this would mean an instant pre-order but no...I need to think carefully about this. To legitimately run this loco on the Corkscrew-Lines would require the laying of DC third rail, something I have never wanted to do. I have no desire to run EMUs so I would literally be laying 3rd rail for a single loco - surely madness. Of course, 10 of the class 71s were converted/rebuilt into the class 74 Electro-Diesels in the late 1960s but only in BR Blue. So a class 74 would fit in with my modelled time frame, would not require 3rd rail being part diesel powered and would give me another small element of BR banger blue traction. Dave Jones says he will produce the class 74s at a later date so problem sorted. Trouble is I love the look of the class 71s in BR Green with small yellow panels...Doh!
The final new model announcement of note is yet another Signal Box from Kernow Model Centre. This time a GWR type 7 box based on Truro is to be produced by Bachmann in their Scenecraft range. Corkettes will already know I have an obsession with Signal Box models. This particular box will control movements into my proposed ex GWR terminus station on level 3 of the Corkscrew-Lines mk2...sorted!
Full Sized Adventures
Despite my recent reduced mobility, a couple of times I have been able to take advantage of the fact that the property we are renting in Peterborough is just a stones throw from the Nene Valley Railway. I headed trackside for the Diesel Gala a couple of months back and enjoyed the procession of classic traction. As I have previously whined about the awful Continental Stock I won't mention it this time...Oops! Did it again! I have just included shots with mk1 stock this time to save you having to see silly foreign nonsense being hauled by Blighty's finest.
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| Whistling Delights! |
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| Brake Van ride anybody? |
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| Tractor Power - Nice! |
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| Interesting Tug & Goyle pairing! |
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| Loud!...very Loud! |
My old Signalling buddy and card carrying Corkette, James from "Oop North" popped in to see how Corky was getting on. We took a trundle along the NVR and I took a few snaps...as you do - Hellfire!
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| 73050 - City Of Peterborough |
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| 73050 - City Of Peterborough |
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| 73050 - City Of Peterborough |
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| Teddy Bear with it's stuffing exposed! |
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| Running round at Yarwell Junction |
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| A good time was had by all |
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| Sentinel and Helga |
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| Thirsty work this! |
Corkscrew-Lines Storage
I thought you good people may be interested to see the system I have adopted for transporting and storing all the stock, components, tools, electrics etc etc of the Corkscrew-Lines and where everything is kept when not in use. I purchased a quantity of "Really Useful" 84ltr storage boxes and these are proving to be ideal. As you can see they can be stacked and are incredibly strong. An added bonus is standard rolling stock boxes by Bachmann and Hornby are a perfect fit and can be loaded to double depth. I intend to revise my baseboard heights in future to accommodate these boxes at floor level. Hopefully, these will be all the storage for the layout I will need and I thoroughly recommend them.
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| The Corkscrew-Lines in disguise! |
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| That's handy - a perfect fit! |
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| Stacked and ready for the move to Sussex. |
The Corkscrew-Lines mk2 - Ideas & Planning
As I suggested last time, the ideal minimum space I needed for the layout in a new home was a double garage and that is exactly what the Sussex property has. Our previous property had a slightly over sized double garage so I knew I would probably have less space at the new property and this is indeed the case. The estate agents dimensions cannot be taken as being accurate so I have conservatively estimated the dimensions to be 16' x 16'. This is far from disastrous but does impose certain compromises with regard to track radius and aisle widths which I need to consider long and hard.
Until I can actually walk around the space with a tape measure and get a feel for what can be done and how, I have resisted the temptation to get too involved in track plans and track layouts. That can come later once I have decided on themes and broad objectives. The initial major consideration is that the garage will need to be converted (insulation, lighting, electrics, flooring etc etc) before any layout building can begin so decisions need to be taken with regard to how this will be done. Options range from piecemeal work when my back is strong enough to getting a main contractor to do all of the conversion work in one hit. Again, talk of this is premature until we are actually occupying the property and can get a feel for what will work best.
At this stage I have been considering some different approaches to the helix placement and how that affects baseboard widths and aisles. I am currently favouring a self contained helix possibly on casters which could fit through a set of french doors on the side of the garage. This would future proof the helix as it could relatively easily be removed from the garage if there were any future house moves. Another idea is a switch to metal slotted shelving and adjustable brackets all around the room. This would be a simple and relatively inexpensive way to reduce the weight and complexity of the design and would not have to be used exclusively. Anyway, these are decisions to be made in the future.
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| Considering heights and shelving systems |
Let's look at my first idea for the Southern Region based level of the layout which would be level 2 with the storage and return loops below. This is a very quick and rough sketch of some ideas I wanted to work up into something that could be honed and tweaked into a workable plan. You will see the mainline runs around the perimeter at a raised height of perhaps 6" and to the front of the layout is a series of docks and wharves terminating in a marine passenger terminal. Whilst there is plenty of free space in the middle of the room, there is also a lack of operational interest as a peninsula cannot really be accommodated.
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| First thoughts |
I was not happy with the amount of space taken by the helix so thought about a radical, albeit complicated solution...put the helix in a shed next to the garage and have numerous tunnels (plastic pipes) running between the two. This gave me much more room for the scenic layout and allowed the use of a peninsula for added operational interest. The drawing below shows a schematic of the main line running around the room and possible industries or stations which could be added and how they would interact with other levels and areas on the layout. This schematic is based on the lowest level of the layout so incorporates the return loop and storage loops. An idea I am toying with here is to have the storage loops as a half scenic yard and to incorporate fully scenic sections into the design. On the Corkscrew-Lines mk1 this level was solely for storage and return loop. Next time I want to use all available space more efficiently and add stations and industries if possible to all levels.
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| External helix in a shed. |
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| Garage extension. |
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| Smaller helix but all within garage envelope |
I will maybe elaborate next time on my thinking with regard to operating the layout and how this will need to include solo sessions... where shunting whilst trains loop on the mainline will probably be the norm, and timetabled operation if a gathering of Corkettes arrive. Would that be a whoop, gaggle, flange or murder of Corkettes?...hmm, I need to ponder on that!
The Brains of the Family!
Finally, well done to my gorgeous daughter Becky who graduated from University in Brighton a few weeks ago. She will always be a Corkette as she was my main "can you just pass me that thingamabob?" and "is it time for a cuppa?" companion whilst the mk1 layout was being constructed. She got the looks and brains, Sarah got the looks and brains too and I got the...!??! Oh dear!
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| Proud just doesn't cover it |
That's all folks from the Fens...I'll be back soon with another update, next time from Sussex!
Take care,
Corky!
