A 1:100 scale layout set in West Yorkshire in
the 1960s
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This
fictional 3mm scale station and goods depot is located on a double track
branch line on the outskirts of Bradford. The scratchbuilt station building
is based on a photo of the long-defunct Eccleshill. The 6mm birch ply
baseboard measures approximately 6ft by 3ft and is in two halves, connected
by split pin hinges and one bolt. It can be dismantled easily for
transportation or storage. |
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The
goods yard and Scalescenes warehouse serve local industries large and small
that were typical of Bradford, receiving and distributing such loads as wool,
soda ash, coal, newsprint and scrap metal, though such a large warehouse
would probably have been too big for a suburban station like Ecclesford. So
much for imitating reality.
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The
trains are pulled by an old J50 on a Tri-ang TT chassis and three kit-built
locos - a Stanier 2-6-4T, a J39 and a G6 (though I don't know what that one
is doing in Yorkshire). A spare Tri-ang Class 31 sometimes takes over. The
coaches are Tri-ang and the stock is a mixture of Tri-ang and kit-built. |
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Track
and points are mostly from Peco, operated by under-board wooden dowels with
piano wire stuck in the end. The exceptions are two beautifully made
hand-built points from 3mm Scale Model Railways (3SMR), which, unlike the
Peco points, need a polarity switch incorporating into the switching
mechanism. |
The
walls and bridges, like the station, are scratchbuilt from thick artists'
card, covered for the most part with stone effect sheet. |
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Signals
are a combination of kits and Tri-ang, operated by wires and cranks under the
baseboard. Ground signals are not modelled. |
Finescale
it isn't, but with working running signals, removable wagon loads, loco lamps
and tail lamps in place and a short operating sequence, the layout can be
operated in a sort of prototypical way, albeit the trains are necessarily
rather short. The Up goods delivers bales of wool and other assorted
merchandise to the warehouse and empties to the scrap dealer, and collects a
full scrap load from said dealer and empties from the warehouse. The Down
goods serves the coal merchant on the other side of the line before trundling
on to the next stop. Passenger trains of course run both ways. |
The
sidings are laid out in such a way that they can also be used to operate the
classic Inglenook Sidings shunting puzzle. |
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Products
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The
coaches and some of the wagons are Tri-ang. Loco, wagon and signal kits were
obtained from the 3mm Society and 3mm Scale Model
Railways. Merchandise and wagon loads such as bales of wool,
crates, potato sacks and coal sacks were obtained from various 4mm scale
suppliers. Newsprint rolls and scrap metal loads were scratchbuilt. |
Information Sources
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In
addition to the brains of 3mm Society members and other modellers, main
sources were Railway Memories No. 4 - Bradford by Whitaker and Myland (pub.
Bellcode Books) and Railway Operation for the Modeller by Bob Essery (pub.
Midland). |
Other layouts:
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