Hi Guys...I'm back!
Sorry it has once again been such a long wait for an update but so many significant things have happened or changed in the last couple of months. Trying to find the time needed to sit down and produce another update to share my life and thoughts with you all has been especially hard this time. Just to warn you though...this one's a bit of a monster!
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| Sussex by the Sea |
Home Sweet Home - Yet Again!
Two life changing events took place in August and then September. You will have already guessed from the view above that the long awaited return from Lincolnshire back to the south east has been successfully completed and Sarah and I are now thoroughly enjoying our new lifestyle in beautiful Sussex. The other significant event was the eagerly anticipated operation on my back which finally took place in Peterborough 3 weeks ago. After near constant pain and at times absolute agony for 7 months, waking from the general anaesthetic in hospital and realising I was pain free at last was a fantastic feeling. The healing process is lengthy and I am unable to tackle any lifting or strenuous activities for another couple of months but so far so good...Corky is on the mend...Hellfire!
This is of course ostensibly a blog about the construction of a model railway layout, and the Corkscrew-Lines will always be at the core of every update. As always there is plenty of model railway related content to follow, however, I hope you will indulge me in this particular update because I wanted to share some recent experiences and express my gratitude to all those friends who have offered support and encouragement over the last couple of, at times, very stressful months.
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| Moving day at last - Now that's a very large lorry! |
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| The Corkscrew-Lines awaiting loading onto the lorry |
If any of you good folk have moved house yourselves recently then you will understand just how expensive the whole process can be. Having decided to return to a part of the world where property prices were roughly double what we were used to in the Fens, we knew we would need to try and make as many savings as we could when it came to the actual physical move. Once the completion date was known we obtained quotes from local removal firms and requested they incorporate the dismantled Corkscrew-Lines within the normal move on the lorry with everything else. You will recall that when we moved into the rented accommodation in Peterborough back in May we moved the layout separately as this was more convenient and cost effective at the time. For this far more complicated move, some firms quoted for 2 lorries and some obviously tried to hedge their bets by offering back up vehicles if required at additional expense. The best quote by far was through Bishop's Move who assured us only one vehicle would be required. They provided the largest vehicle in their fleet...a beast which was normally based in Devon. The lorry was expertly packed including all of the Corkscrew-Lines, the tools equipment and all the rolling stock. Once all the household effects and furniture was also aboard the tailgate was lifted and everything was on with no room to spare!
In the run up to moving day and then handing back our rental property we had a few near disasters and moments of panic but as always our friends gave up their precious free time and came running to help us. I have already said how much we are enjoying our new house and life in the south... however, if there is one regret it is leaving people like Johnny "Napier-Boy" Herbert, Heather & Jeff Roberts and Lord & Lady Dowsby behind because you guys are amazing and we both miss you all so much. Thanks also to the other Corkettes like Danny Levers and Steve Copley who gave so much support at the time...you guys are great...Oh My Lords!
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| The "lesser-spotted" Johnny Napier-Boy/Avro-Boy Herbert! |
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| The lovely & magnificent Lady and Lord Dowsby - we miss you guys. |
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| A cuppa with my old mate Jeff...Dreadful! |
The final shot shows Corky just a few hours after the Discectomy operation in the Fitzwilliam Hospital in Peterborough. Not a pleasant experience and at the time I was suffering from the after effects of the general anaesthetic. I've included the shot because it marks a significant personal line in the sand with regard to the construction of the the new Corkscrew-Lines layout. I am assured by my consultant that the operation was a complete success and there is no reason why I shouldn't make a full recovery. In just a couple of months time I should be able to return to woodworking, tracklaying and layout construction...the things I have been longing to get stuck into again for so long now. The planning and construction of the improved Corkscrew-Lines Mk2 can begin from this point onwards. I recuperated for a few days with Heather and Jeff, our old neighbours from Crowland in the Fens. Thank you as always for your hospitality and kindness and the guest bedroom is waiting for you in Jones-Towers for our new Sussex adventures...Hellfire!
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| Onwards and Upwards from here! |
New Arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines
Right, that's enough sentimental wallowing...lets talk toy trains!
Unusually, there have been no new loco arrivals over the last couple of months but the parcels fleet has been bolstered and the Regional Chief Civil Engineer now has his own transport ready for the construction of the new Corkscrew-Lines...very timely!
The limited edition CCT wagons by Bachmann commissioned by Invicta Models arrived recently and they are fantastic models. They have been well received by the model press and these will be perfect additions to my ever growing fleet of 4 wheel and 6 wheel non passenger carrying stock. I want parcels traffic to be a significant part of the Corkscrew-Lines working timetable and these are essential additions as they typify the vast numbers of unglamorous vehicles which covered the whole country just a few decades ago.
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| Bachmann CCT from Invicta Models |
In a similar vein, more parcels vehicles have arrived from Dapol in the shape of the Fruit D van and another Stove R 6 wheel brake which was a free gift as part of a Hornby Magazine subscription deal. These vehicles will need to be caked in grime and filth to look representative and this will be done once I have the spray booth up and running on the top floor but more of that anon.
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| Dapol Fruit D wagon |
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| Stove-R from Hornby Magazine |
The final addition to the parcels fleet is the Hornby model of the LNER extra long CCT which is a really pleasing model and I think will add extra interest to a rake as it is a far less numerous type than the shorter, more standard design CCTs built under BR. As with all parcels stock, the parentage and allocation didn't actually make any difference to where these vehicles went. I am sure these ex North Eastern vehicles would have frequently appeared in the south west.
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| Hornby long wheelbase CCT and Dapol Fruit D |
The final new item of rolling stock is the ex LMS Inspection Saloon from Bachmann which looks absolutely gorgeous and is crying out to have the interior painted and representatives of the Civil Engineers staff seated at both ends. This coach will allow unusual moves all over the Corkscrew-Lines and small loco haulage with all types of unusual locos. It was expensive (although significantly discounted via Hattons) but as it forms a complete train on it's own I have no regrets purchasing one...Absolutely Hellfire!
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| Painted seats and a full compliment of staff required! |
If you have been reading these updates for a while then you will know I have soft spots for some particular types of model such as Signal Boxes and 1960s British Railways road vehicles. Twenty years ago I was extremely interested in buses and coaches. The vehicles of today rarely warrant a second glance from me as I find the uniformity of chassis, body and liveries doesn't interest me anything like as much these days. The buses and coaches of the 1950s and 1960s however, oh that's a very different matter. I can indulge my love of the elaborate bodywork designs and liveries of the heyday of the British bus in model form via the Corkscrew-Lines thanks to EFE, OOC, Base Toys and now Oxford Die-Cast. The recently released Weymann Fanfare by Oxford is absolutely gorgeous and at only £12.00 from the box shifters is an absolute steal as an equivalent model from EFE would be double the price. The next classic omnibus to look forward to from Oxford is the Plaxton Panorama Mk1...Hellfire!...Fill yer boots!
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| Gorgeous |
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| If only bus backsides looked this good these days! |
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| Sundries & essentials |
Introducing the "Ned Cave"
You may be surprised to hear that over the last 30 years or so I have amassed quite a collection of kits, models, prints, negatives & slides, railway, bus, military and photographic books and memorabilia. Actually, you are probably not surprised at all! Anyway, this collection has always been scattered through various boxes, bookcases and rooms in our previous houses much to my annoyance and also to Mrs Corky's as my modelling habit has spread onto dining room tables and kitchen worktops where normal people go! Well Corky is a very lucky boy these days because at the top of the new house in the attic is a room just for me! A room full of half built kits, rolling stock, magazines and books and "junk" which is now at last on display. This shrine to the inner-Anorak has been christened the Ned-Cave and now, at any time I want to, I can sit and happily work on models whilst listening to the likes of Porcupine Tree, Spock's Beard or Amplifier on my stereo whilst being surrounded by my accumulated "precious things". The spray booth will also reside here once I have constructed a more substantial base for it with suitable castors. That will have to wait for my dodgy back to mend a little more but it's another thing for me to look forward to for next year...weathering action...Dreadful!
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| Workbench |
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| Workbench |
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| Precious Things! |
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| The Ned Cave |
In the last week I have at last been able to start sitting at the desk in the Ned Cave and messing around with some kits. To continue the structure building program for the new layout, I have started work on the Walthers twin track truss bridge kit which although in HO scale, will easily accommodate OO gauge track and stock. I bought the kit many years ago at Warley and have added another 2 over the last couple of years including the matching concrete central pillars, abutments and wing walls with the intention of having a triple span bridge and making the structure a centrepiece of a plain line section of the layout. The kit is not difficult to construct but the assembly is extremely repetitive...and I'm only on the first of three! This is an obvious candidate for the spray booth as a uniform coating of grey paint would take weeks by brush! Who knows, next time I may have all 3 assembled and I can take a shot of a mocked up 3 span bridge.
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| Bridge building in the Ned Cave |
The Coupler Conundrum
It is time to knuckle down (sorry!) and start converting all of my stock to accept Kadee couplers. I know many argue that the Kadee style of coupler is inappropriate for British stock and I have to agree but having looked at all of the available alternatives, I still think it represents the best compromise between looks, robustness and reliable hands free operation. I am a pragmatist and when you consider how many other compromises I am making with regard to the lack of true scale track, lack of prototypical broad sweeping curves and the necessity for shortened trains due to gradients, I can certainly live with Kadee couplers.
To make the process of installing and crucially adjusting the coupler heights a lot simpler I decided to construct a simple "Coupler Plank" which will also double up as a running in plank for new locos on DC when my Bachrus Rolling Road saddle components are added. The plank is a piece of plywood with cork and foam roadbed under a yard length of Peco Code 75 flex track with a Kadee permanent magnet installed in the middle. A pair of Kadee height gauges are clipped onto the track at each end so any item of stock can have the couplers checked for correct height and then checked over the magnet to ensure correct hands free operation is possible.
My goal will be to start retrospectively fitting Kadee couplers to all of my rolling stock whilst at the same time ensuring all new arrivals have them fitted when being first taken out of the box and undergoing my normal back to back checks and running in tests. Corkettes who visited the Mk1 layout will know I was a little lax in my coupler standards (surely not!) so it was often tricky assembling a rake of suitable stock to run behind visiting locos. In future I will have a dedicated fleet of brake vans and translator coaches which will have a standard Bachmann/Hornby coupler at one end and a Kadee at the other. That way anyone visiting with locos or stock can still run on the mainline with almost anything from the resident fleet. The likes of Wibble can still try to amass a train of every item of freight stock in the yard and charge at the Helix...Dreadful!
I have a supply of Kadee No.5 couplers and a few dozen NEM compatible No.17, 18 & 19 couplers but I thought I would stock up on a wider variety of shanks, lengths and accessories so hopefully I can tackle any difficult installations. The final shot below shows the total Kadee couplers collected so far so fingers crossed I'll be able to get stuck in and when the Corkscrew-Lines Mk2 starts operating all stock will be ready to run with working compatible couplers.
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| Kadee Coupler Plank |
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| Kadee No.205 Height Gauge clipped onto rails at each end |
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| Kadee No.308 under track permanent magnet in the centre |
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| Kadee No.205 Height Gauge clipped onto rails at each end |
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| Difficult wagon coupling first aid kit! |
Full Sized Adventures
A very enjoyable day was spent back in the September on one of my favourite preserved lines...the Mid Hants Railway or "Watercress Line". I met up with the Rooster family and we trundled backwards and forwards behind a variety of classic diesels through the Hampshire countryside. Whilst I always enjoy some heritage thrash...Oh My Lords! - the highlight for me was soaking up the SR atmosphere and specifically the wonderful architecture and buildings on the line...all beautifully presented and decorated. I have included some shots of the day including the wonderful Signal Boxes on the line which due to their LSWR parentage will have obvious appeal and significance for me with regard to the Corkscrew-Lines.
Rooster and I also took the opportunity to jump on the open veranda of a brake van at Alresford and be propelled by a Gronk along what remains of the line towards Winchester. Not a very long ride but great fun and especially rewarding when we discovered a large blue 16 wheel beastie hiding round the corner and a very long way from it's original home!
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| Alton - MHR |
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| Alton - MHR |
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| Medstead And Four Marks - MHR |
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| Medstead And Four Marks - MHR |
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| Medstead And Four Marks - MHR |
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| Medstead And Four Marks - MHR |
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| Medstead And Four Marks - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Medstead And Four Marks - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Ropley - MHR |
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| Alresford - MHR |
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| Alresford - MHR |
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| Alresford - MHR |
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| 45 132 - Alresford - MHR |
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| Alresford - MHR |
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| Medstead And Four Marks - MHR |
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| Medstead And Four Marks - MHR |
The Corkscrew-Lines mk2 - Ideas & Planning
OK, we have now moved into our new home so I can actually sit down and start to properly plan where and how the Mk2 version of the Corkscrew-Lines will be built. To be honest, the first month or so in the house after the move consisted of simply organising everything and trying to get settled in. Then there was the small matter of Corky's back operation in Peterborough and resultant recuperation so I have not spent as much time planning the layout as you may have expected. However, I have made some progress so I thought I would share some initial thoughts, ideas and sketches with you all so you can all be up to speed with the design process from the beginning.
The new house in Sussex is modern, in fact it is almost new. This is a good thing with regard to warranty cover, energy efficiency, modern kitchen, windows and bathrooms etc, etc and exactly what we wanted. However, as with most new homes, the proportions for garages and gardens are at best described as modest. We have a beautifully landscaped and planted low maintenance garden but it is not large. Again, this suits us fine as we are not avid gardeners and want to spend our time on the patio socialising rather than cutting acres of lawn or tending endless flower beds. The double garage however is not as large as the previous self-built version in the Fens and as a result the previous design of the layout simply cannot fit and when the different position of the entrance door is taken into consideration and the need to carry out a full conversion including blocking doors, adding insulation, electrics and plaster-boarding, a totally new layout design made sense.
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| The new double garage |
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| The new double garage |
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| The new double garage |
My desire for trains of 8 coach lengths and a general widening of the curves used on the previous layout meant that as I am unfortunately unable to alter the laws of physics, there would have to be a major compromise and the only way I could get what I wanted from the layout was to literally think outside of the box and see if the essential, but sprawling helix could be located outside of the garage. After dozens of ideas, variations and sketches I have come up with the sketch below which gives an idea of how this may work. You will see I have included the fitting of French doors to the garage to replace the current single garage access door as this allows much easier access, less complicated bench work in the corner and extra light. The existing tiny wooden shed is replaced by a much larger one but this is still relatively modest but it just about manages to house the helix and the entrance/exit tracks from the garage. Remember all of this is on multiple levels so the full height of the shed will be used.
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| Current Layout & Helix thinking |
Whilst this may seem like a very elaborate and complicated solution you should remember this is a layout for a lifetime and I intend to be constructing and operating this layout for decades to come. Getting the footprint and structure right at the start of the project is essential. The helix sits in a shed although a workshop may be a better description as I want the structure to be fully insulated and constructed to a high standard so the complex and isolated helix assembly is not affected by variations in temperature or moisture. Other considerations are ensuring the floor height in the garage and shed are similar as access under the layout will be required in both buildings. Other thoughts on maintaining reliable running include limiting all trackwork in the shed to plain line and running cabling for CCTV feeds through to the garage so trains can be checked at all times in the garage with strategically placed monitors. Once the layout reaches the stage where there are multiple levels operating and trains are descending and ascending the helix between levels at the same time I can easily imagine some people (you know who you are!) wanting to sit in the shed and just watch the trains roll by. This certainly happened with the mk1 version.
The previous helix had an oval shape with rough dimensions of 4ft x 7ft and everything managed to climb it, albeit with a bit of a huff and puff for some smaller steam locos. The new helix will probably be about 5ft square but will incorporate the Powerbase system by DCC Concepts so trains will in effect have magnetic assistance to climb the grade. Demonstrations I have seen are encouraging and I think I will have probably have heavier trains that perform far better on the helix this time round. With the RTR manufacturers welcome trend at the moment for desirable small steam loco models to be released, such as the Kernow/DJM class 02 tank, the ability to haul a decent length train is almost assured using the Powerbase magnets making the whole smaller sized helix issue far less of a gamble. Although there may be no more actual track length for each turn of the helix, there will be a far larger and constant radius curve and therefore less drag leading to much more reliable running.
If I try to clear my mind (unfortunately not too difficult!) and concentrate I can imagine the way the multiple levels of the layout will interact with each other and how the trackwork will need to flow to keep climbing the room without interfering with the trackwork already laid on the level below. I know it will probably be years before I reach the upper levels so I have concentrated on the lowest return loop and then the first turns of the helix which will sit immediately above it. To make sure my assumptions and ideas will work I have produced some simple sketches to show how the trackwork needs to flow between the garage and the shed. It all makes sense and it will work as long as I take my time and ensure the radius of the curves and the grades are not too severe.
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| Helix and return loop ideas |
So what happens next? Well I need to get some quotes from builders to establish just what the garage conversion work is going to cost and then decide how much of it I want to tackle myself. Although we did an awful lot of the work involved in building our last property, that was when I had a fully functioning back and I am reluctant to put my continuing recovery at risk this time. In conjunction with this I will also need to do further research into sheds and outbuildings and hopefully come up with a cost effective and practical way to join the two structures together. I think the whole process will take another couple of months to gel so in the meantime I will continue to plan, measure and deliberate whilst also heading to the Ned Cave to construct kits and modify couplings etc etc until I finally have somewhere to start laying track again.
Miscellaneous Musings!
So that's almost it for another update my lovely little Corkettes...phew! Mrs Corky and I are once again happily living in Sussex after an absence of approximately 10 years. Many things have changed over the last decade and as I wander around places I used to know so well I am constantly reminded that the only thing that never changes is constant change. I thought I would sign off this time with some observations and a few final photos you may be interested in...or not!
Back in September the Rooster family became the first Corkettes to stay at the new Jones-Towers and their stay incorporated a visit to the local NMRA exhibition in Horsham of American and Canadian modelling. Sorry Rooster and thinking about it, also Martyn Clemes, but I just don't get it! Why is American modelling so popular? It just makes no sense to me...oh well! Another huge benefit of the new house is it's proximity to the eclectic delights of Brighton. My first job on the Railway was in Brighton back in 1986 and although so much has changed, I still find myself constantly being reminded of adventures and escapades from decades ago. It's also the place I met and married the extraordinary Mrs Corky so it will always be a very special place to the Corkmeister!...Dreadful - Oh My Lords!
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| Mrs Rooster & Mrs Corky make an exhibition of themselves! |
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| Rooster ponders on why he likes American N scale so much? |
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| Round and round it goes! |
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| Keymer Junction blockade...Corkscrew-Lines style tracklaying! |
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| You should never go out without a hat! |
As always, thanks for reading this update and I will endeavour (no promises) to produce the next in a more timely manner. After a couple of years of uncertainty, there are now exciting times ahead for the Corkscrew-Lines and I will soon be rolling my sleeves up and getting the garage converted so the new version can begin...Hellfire!
There will be the usual feast of fascinating news and adventures next time. I will be showing you the latest arrivals on the line including the smallest and cutest signal boxes I own and an extremely graceful addition to the SR steam loco stud. Other treats will include classic bus escapades on a Leyland Leopard, the annual pilgrimage to Warley (see you there Corkettes) and anything else I think you'll enjoy you lucky, lucky people!
Finally, congratulations to my great mate Wibble who has just passed-out as a GBRf train driver. Well done Brother...well deserved - Hellfire!
That's all for now folks!
Corky!
