Project 24 - Battledown Flyover #25 (Photo Shoot)

I have taken the modelling as far as I can for now. There is just one anomaly concerning the signal box plinth. I caught a glimpse in a video of stone steps in the alley way that I have not modelled. It raises a question as to where the door is in that side of the building? Clearly the steps lead up to the signal box cabin before it was removed but where is the entrance for the plinth/store that remains? Until evidence materialises I cannot complete the building.

One of the great joys for me is to recreate and photograph prototypical scenes on the layout. Below is my new portfolio with references to the prototype. Smoke effects have been added and the railway room background wiped. Head codes (white disks) have been manipulated for the correct route. Everything else is the actual model railway layout. (Click images to enlarge).

One final posting (#26) to come.

1. West country class with an up Bournemouth train (1962)

2. West Country Class with the Willesden to Salisbury empty milk train

3. N class hauling vans to Southampton Docks (1962)

4. Warship Class 42 with a Waterloo to Exeter train (1964+)

5. West Country Pacific with a Plymouth to Waterloo train (1950s)
 

6. The Atlantic Coast Express. Waterloo to Exeter (1960s)

7. West Country Class approaching the flyover from the South

Bibliography of prototype photos. Scenes of which were recreated on the model railway.

1. Hampshire Steam. M. Welch. ISBN 1-85414-229-1
2. Mainline to the West (Basingstoke to Salisbury) J. Nicholas et al. ISBN 1-903266-43-2
3. Decline of Southern Steam. M. Welch. ISBN ?
4. Waterloo-Exeter Heyday. G. Siviour. et al. ISBN 0-7110-1895-2
5. Railway Herald Issue 205 (link)
6. ?
7. ?

To Part 26.

To Part 1.

Project 24 - Battledown Flyover #24 (Naughty People)

Following on from the last post about adding objects to an otherwise open landscape for extra interest I have included photographers and train spotters who have trespassed on to the railway. 

This is not a fictional event because I have seen such activity in enthusiasts cine films from the 1960s. I don't think these people would get away doing it these days.

Waiting for the next steam train

Figures are by Scale 3D except my scratch built camera on tripod

Here is that brave (or stupid) photographer about to capture a train hurtling over the bridge

Figures were painted following the technique shown in this tutorial video.

To Part 1.

To Part 25.

Project 24 - Battledown Flyover #23 (What is that laying in the grass?)

One of the aspects of modelling a real scene, especially countryside, is that the scene is generally open and uncluttered. Sometimes it is a good idea to add some objects for extra visual interest. 

Battledown Flyover is a case in point. Except, when works are being carried to the bridge or permanent way a lot of equipment can be seen laying about and some of it remains when the work is finished. We have already seen on the model, sleepers laid against the bridge arch and a length of rail buried in the grass but, Look at this photo. What is that laying in the grass next to the wagon wheels?

I have seen about ten photographs aimed at passing trains that also show the object. It seems those wheelsets and the object in question were in place from about 1961 to 1965. An earlier photograph from the 1950s shows them closer to the bridge and a later photograph from 1967 shows a similar arrangement further up the line near the now demolished Worting signal box. None of the photos give a close enough view to determine exactly what it is. 

I thought it may be a pallet or the body of a permanent way trolley. I decided to investigate trolleys and came upon three photos of railway flatbed trolleys. A character of these was the unusual spoke design of the wheels. There are seven spokes, each one curved. Closer examination of the Battledown photos revealed that the wheels also had seven curved spokes. That sealed it for me. We are looking at a flatbed trolley with its wheel sets removed. 

Furthermore, the trolley seemed to be upside down but, why are the wheels separate? Perhaps it is to dissuade trespassers from using it on the track since this place in the 1960s would often be swarmed with enthusiasts and photographers. Some even climbed the embankments and at least one stood by the track on the embankment next to the bridge to film a train coming through it at speed!

Another photograph showed an oil barrel nearby that was only there for a short time (I guess). All these objects have now been modelled.

What is that laying in the grass?

To Part 1.

To Part 24.

Project 24 - Battledown Flyover #22 (Change to Plan)

I did not intend to accommodate the down Basingstoke to Southampton line because it would be another dead end like the up line but, featureless. After all it is the bridge on the (dead end) up line that is the main point of interest on this layout. 

When I came to consider landscaping the east end of the layout I discovered that the baseboard is wider than expected here and that prototypically part of the omitted down line would be visible as it sweeps in to join alongside the west of England main lines.

So, I have now added a short length of the down line. There is only enough baseboard width to run the track to the bridge and you can see from the inset in the photo how it meets the edge of the baseboard.

I decided not to power this track. It is therefore, simply part of the scenery. With hindsight I wish that I had widened the baseboard to accommodated a full run of track. The baseboard only needs about 75 mm more width at the west end. Also, I could run the track onto the non-scenic lifting section for even greater length (although the curve would be too tight for some locomotives). 

It would be possible to increase the baseboard width at the west end without too much trouble (if I feel like it in the future). For now, the short piece installed is essential to be true to prototype and it may be useful for photographic sessions.

To Part 1.

To Part 23.

Farnham & District 49th Model Railway Expo

I remember when entry to a model railway exhibition was £5 before Covid and after Covid it increased to £8 and today it is £10 and if you have children in tow it will be more. I don't blame the club exhibiting for the rise. It is just the rise in costs generally, probably brought on by geopolitical influences.

The poster at the entrance boasted over 50 layouts on show but I counted less than 30. In fact the number of layouts and traders seemed little different to previous years although an extra room was opened this year indicating a larger exhibition.

The quality of layouts was extraordinarily high, leading me to abandon my usual thoughts of choosing a personal best in show. Instead I'll highlight three layouts that depicted unusual scenes not normally seen at a model railway exhibition.

Moors View (N) depicting a wintry season

Buggleskelly (00) A diorama accurately depicting
the station from the film Oh Mr. Porter

Brief Encounter (00) All monochrome. Based
 on the 1944 film Brief Encounter

I made one planned and two unplanned purchases from traders. A bag of static grass to complete my Battledown Flyover layout, a 'morris minor traveller' car that took my fancy and the book 'Main Line To The West - Basingstoke to Salisbury' which has detailed historical information of the line, including Battledown Flyover.

Project 24 - Battledown Flyover #21 (Embankments Completed)

 The east end embankment:

The split line between two baseboards is clearly visible in the above photograph but that lighter coloured line sloping right on the embankment is a grass worn path that is evident in early 1960s photographs of the prototype.

The rusty fence, made from bullhead rail, was originally painted white on the prototype.

See that bush by the brick pillar in front of the fence. It started life as lichen on a broken tree branch that I found during a countryside walk.

I carefully removed a piece by cutting away a slice of tree bark that it was attached too. The lichen was glued down on the layout via its tree bark foot. It was then covered in static grass and scatter for a convincing looking bush.

To Part 1.

To Part 22.

Project 24 - Battledown Flyover #20 (Reality Quest)

This is the view under the model bridge; pretty much as it was in the first half of the 1960s including, sleepers laid against the wall, the single rail buried in the grass, the fences, the trees on the far side of the embankment and the tree line in the backscene.

The field fence was particularly troublesome to install, mainly due to the bridge and embankment hindering access.

The fence is an unusual design. Unusual because I could not find any other examples of the post on the web. The post comprises T section metal posts with sloping sides supporting five wire runs. Wire stays fit between the posts.

The posts were installed first and then bare electrical copper wires fed through them followed by fitting of the stays. The fifth wire at the base was not installed as it would have been buried in the long grass! I roughly painted  the parts a rust colour. 

All, except the wires, were resin 3D printed by myself. They are small, thin and with the holes make them fragile. Several broke during installation but, thankfully, I had just enough spares to replace the damaged ones. 

My CAD design is shown below. 

To Part 21.

To Part 1.