Project 27 - The End of Steam #1

Time for another diorama build.

Back Story

I came across Woodmoores scrapyard in the March 2014 edition of Hornby magazine and was totally captivated by it (probably influenced by the superb close up photography of the locomotives in various states of disarray).  I was particularly struck by the treatment of the locos, some being stripped down of parts and baring their inner workings.

Photographs of the diorama on the web are virtually non existent. Only one found that unfortunately, does not give the diorama the justice it deserves compared to those in the magazine. Click to view.

Woodmoores scrapyard is a pastiche of Woodhams and Cashmoores scrapyards of Wales when they were overrun by steam locomotives awaiting breaking up in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Woodhams is particularly famous as the locos were set aside whilst emphasis was given to wagon breaking. This gave the opportunity for enthusiasts to buy and restore many of the locos.

Inspired by all this I decided to have a go at modelling a scrapyard using the same footprint as Woodmoores (20 inches by 11 inches) and butchering mainly Dapol kits for the locos.

First, comes the research. Scouring the web for photos and browsing the book 'Steam For Scrap' Volume 1 I came across plenty of useful material on which to base the scene. 

Mobile Crane

One item I wanted was a mobile crane that was used for moving the scrap piles into wagons for dispatch to the foundry's. Woodhams had several especially this one (click to view). Whilst the image is poor on detail what does show prominently is the crane makers mark - JONES KL66 (or is it KL44?). Nevertheless, searching for both models uncovered many photos and even a breakaway drawing (click to view). There were subtle differences in style and two styles of jib in use. My model will be largely based on photos here except I'll model the Woodhams jib.

Dimensions will be obtained by scaling photographs but I need a reference to begin. Data on the web stated jib styles were either 30 or 40 feet in length. I could use that but wanted something smaller that related to the four wheeled truck. Nothing found until I had a eureka moment considering that a common replacement part would be the tyres. I found this:

Tyre Type 10.00-20

•  ~41.5 to 42.1 inches when fully inflated.

• Section Width: 10.0 to 10.9 inches from sidewall to sidewall.

• Rim Diameter: 20 inches.

So, that became the basis for scaling the photos and a CAD model was created ready for 3D print.

Hewish Gates #9

Rarely, when creating a model of a real location do we find sufficient photographic evidence to accurately portray it. This is the case for my Hewish Gates diorama. I had just three historical photographs to work from, all of which were taken at ground level close by the level crossing. This left the wider environs much to the imagination.

Take a moment to study this diorama before I reveal a photograph of the prototype I recently discovered, taken from this viewpoint.

Click images to enlarge.

Click to view the prototype scene (opens in a new browser window).

Photographed in the 1950s or early 1960s, long before drones were invented, the photographer climbed a nearby semaphore signal to snap the view. Judging from the onlooking signal box staff one wonders if he had permission to do so! Never the less, it is an astonishing photograph because it captures a plethora of detail within an expanse of landscape making it an ideal reference point for the modeller. 

The locomotive has the look of an S15, designed specifically for freight duties. But, it could be an N15 since these are near identical in style. The N15 was relegated from express passenger to occasional freight duties when the new Bulleids took over its express passenger duties around 1945. I can only make out the first three loco numbers as 304xx , which applies to either class.

Do you like 'spot the difference' challenges?

Comparing the diorama and prototype reveals significant differences. Most noticeable on the diorama is :-

• Two missing buildings
• A higher embankment near the signal box
• An embankment retaining wall
• Missing fenced refuges adjoining the wicket gates

There are many more.

Did you also spot the bicycles and milk churn (probably for drinking water) in the prototype photograph. These transient items bring life to a scene that make for a visually interesting model.

So, I decided to rework my diorama to closely reflect the prototype photo.

Not perfect but, much more authentic

With an S15

In colour

Click to view the prototype scene in 2026 (opens in a new browser window).

Not to scale

Postscript

So, no one spotted the missing warning signs. The reason I left them off was because I could not read any of the wordings. After more research though I found some likely candidates.

Only one of the seven signs in the prototype photo shows wording and it is quite substantial. This suggests to me a lot of legal jargon and the closest I found was the British Transport Commission sign that gives warning about trespass and the punishment thereof. The British Transport Commission was the governing body of the railway (and all public transport) at nationalisation until 1963.

The long sign might be a BTC 'Beware of Trains' and judging from photographs of other locations the remainder might be ex Southern Railway that lasted long after nationalisation.

None of the sign wordings are readable without a magnifying glass!

To Part 1.

Overley - A Summer Spent Building a Plank

Back Story

Well, that was not planned!

In the words of Jethro "What happened was.."

My son and grandson joined the local model railway club and attended the Saturday novice group where each member builds a one metre long diorama, at the club and/or at home. The dioramas are joined together to form a large operational model railway. Each scene is unique.

My grandson's  idea was to have a station and a working level crossing. They were given the baseboard, some parts and guidance by the club and got as far as preparing the trackwork and knocking up a couple of platforms before reality kicked in. The problem is my grandson is on the autistic spectrum, which limits his comprehension and abilities, and my son's busy home and work life does not allow sufficient time to create this thing within a reasonable time frame. He asked if I would help.

I agreed on one condition; that the lad must get involved too. The lad reluctantly agreed. During each week over the summer I created some complex part of the scene leaving a simpler task for him to finish under guidance during his visit to me one day each week. Things like ballasting, static grass laying etc.

The most pleasing result was his attitude towards the project. What started as a chore to him developed into an expectation and commitment to it as he learned new practical skills.

It Posed a Challenge for Me too

My grandson already has a fully scenic 'table top' roundy roundy model railway and has asked for years if he can have a working level crossing. It is a complex thing to make, and one that I had avoided but now, for this plank, it must be done.

My concern is how to do the automation. Early research led me to the Viessmann automated two barrier crossing (its expensive, H0 and we need a four barrier crossing for this 00 layout) and the PECO Smartswitch electronics that needs a crossing and additional parts (also expensive). An influencing factor for me is that I have a 3D printer and can design and make the crossing parts easily and cheaply myself. I just needed help with the automation.

The only difficulty with the barrier design was how to make a moving skirt? Some experimentation lead me to using staples from an office stapler machine.

And so to the automation. I doubt I could have achieved this without the generosity of a Youtuber who has explained how he did it and has made available free for all his programming code.

At the core is an Arduino Nano microcontroller and his tutorial is here:

https://youtu.be/gApek9WjnSo?si=ErEPQYEbSuLfM5_b

I needed to modify his code to operate a four barrier crossing instead of two, adjust timings and introduce an initialisation sequence that checks the position of the operating switch on power up and sets the barrier position accordingly. In addition the platform starter signal displays red when barriers are up and green when down. Some knowledge of the programming code used is necessary for all this.

Why Overley?

The level crossing is based on BramLEY and platform furniture is based on OVERton, both in Hampshire.