parallel worlds - period change on your layout

[tedp]

This was discussed on the NGRM forum over the past fortnight and I'll share it with those of us who aren't on NGRM.

Over the years my layout, despite all the fiddle yards and storage sidings, has filled up to capacity. I built new locomotives and stock which I fancy, and I won't stop building more because I like model building. I'm not one to sell off what I built as I'm too attached to them all. So I withdrew some of the old stock to a 'legacy collection', added storage sidings, built a branch line with its own fiddle yard, and made longer trains (which is done automatically by my goods stock circulation system).

parallel worlds
For some time I even ran a scheme to run the stock in two 'parallel worlds' - roughly pre-WW1, and post-WW1, parking all unused stock out of sight. When the branch was added, I put the Victorian stock on the branch and the modern collection on the main. Still, the collection kept growing, adding even diesels, and now I feel the limit has been reached. Gradually the layout has become overcrowded.

So now I'm thinking of going back to the parallel worlds idea. One way to do it means assigning a time frame to my locomotives, railcars and rolling stock, and even to the road vehicles. It means periodically changing round part of the stock, or building an off-line storage yard for all the models that don't fit the particular time frame the layout is in.

time frames
At the moment I'm thinking of three time frames: 1870-1895, 1900-1914 and 1920-1935. This has limitations - for instance I cannot remove the tramway which is post-1890, and I cannot replace all the human figures. But the road vehicles can be changed around, and so can the rolling stock, so I'm back to a complement that leaves the sidings largely free as they should in real life.
Here is what I'm thinking of, although obviously there are some overlapping features between the time frames. Nothing new of course - it's similar to the period thinking in some modelling circles, only it can be changed round on a single layout.

1870-1895
Generally four-coupled locomotives and four or six-wheel rolling stock, perhaps one or two bogie vehicles. Road vehicles are horse drawn.



1900-1914
Bigger locomotives, more bogie stock, steam railmotors, steam powered road vehicles, an occasional motor vehicle. Older stock is gradually phased out. Edwardian splendour.



1920-1935
Introduction of diesel and petrol powered locomotives and railcars. Steam railmotors and road vehicles phased out. Motor vehicles on the road. Steam is used for goods and mixed trains and the occasional excursion train (think of the County Donegal in 1935).



For the moment these will suffice, although a fourth era rears its head: the 1950s, with passenger services cut to a minimum and only a weekly mixed remaining next to the struggling coal traffic. Think of the

[tedp]

A serious problem when trying to change the period appearance of your layout is the intrusion of items that don't belong. Road vehicles can easily be exchanged, but the entire tramway with overhead wires cannot so easily be removed. Human figures have been fixed to the platforms and I don't see myself removing every lady in Victorian dress if I want to represent the 1930s. This is something you have to think of before you even detail the layout - some people for instance fit the figures with wire studs so they can be fitted into pre-drilled holes. The ships at Dunalistair were discussed also, but apart from one or two small ones, at the moment there is little to be done. The paddle steamer is correct for about 1880-1910, and the Puffer alongside the coal pier is a modern vessel probably post-WW1. The Puffer might be exchanged for a sailing collier if I had such a model.

Another issue is vacuum brake gear on locomotives and rolling stock. On NGRM the 1889 Regulation of Railways Act was discussed - the one introduced after the Armagh runaway disaster, making continuous automatic brakes, signal and point interlocking and block working obligatory. Some railways had fitted various types of continuous brakes before that date, but narrow gauge railways probably were late doing so. Some, such as the NWNGR and the Ballycastle, managed to evade the obligation to fit continuous automatic brakes for a long time. I believe the Ballycastle never fitted them at all until the NCC took over. The Light Railways Act of 1896 was mentioned in the discussion, but we quickly found out that there is no clause in the Light Railways Act that reduces the mandatory safety regulations on any passenger-carrying railway.

My 4-wheel carriages are vacuum fitted as there is brake gear modelled under the floor excepting a few. All have been fitted with vacuum pipes. That would make a serious problem if I'd want to run them before 1889. Unless Lord Dunalistair had the carriage stock fitted at an earlier stage. Here is an example of an 1870s train on the C&DR.



Mick Thornton suggested I follow the example of Paul Windle, assigning a time frame for every model on the layout (date introduced and date withdrawn), and Julian Evison mentioned the idea of a computer spreadsheet. Well, I did so, and at the moment I am using this to determine the locomotives, rolling stock and road vehicles for a given year. The spreadsheet was designed so it highlights every item that is appropriate for the year you enter at the top of the start page.

[tedp]

Here is a screenprint of the stock list spreadsheet, showing how I determine which item is appropriate for a certain moment in time.



The year entered at the top is copied to each row in the table and compared to the introduction and withdrawal dates. If it fits, there will be a highlighted entry on the left of the table.

[tedp]

Shortly after I deciding on the time frame idea, I had a most interesting exercise delving into books and playing with the results in the stock table for various years.

I soon found out that I have only two pre-1880 locomotives. A third and fourth would probably be needed to run any believable kind of service. I would have to substitute a few later locos to make do for 1880.





What kept me busy for a while was carriage stock. If we exclude a few lines such as the Glyn Valley, four wheel stock went out of fashion by 1880. I should add that the older railways had four-wheel stock delivered probably up to 1875, and four-wheelers were in general use up to about 1900. The first bogie coaches appeared, in small numbers, in 1872 (Ffestiniog and NWNGR), and 1876 (IoMR). The Irish railways can be left out as the Irish 3ft gauge didn't get going until the mid and late 1880s and used 6-wheel and bogie stock from the start. Again, someone pointed out the Schull & Skibbereen opened with four-wheelers, but this is an exception.

Out of the bogie carriage stock of the C&DR (9 carriages and a van) a few might have been delivered in 1875, with other batches following, just as on prototype railways, 5 or 10 years later. So I set the delivery dates of the bogie stock accordingly: one in 1875, two and a van in 1876 and three more in 1885. The NWNGR type six-wheeler is delivered in 1877 as its prototype.

By 1890 I have 8 engines that fit the period, and most of the present bogie passenger stock. Also, I have split the coal wagon stock in several batches. The oldest being the dumb buffer stock (1870), then a small batch in 1875, followed by a big batch of Colin Ashby type wagons in 1890. This reflects the supposedly increased output from the colliery in the 1880s and 1890s.

Later I was going to look at the general goods stock, and of course I will have to go over the Edwardian and post-WW1 periods. Probably some earlier stock must have their theoretical withdrawal dates brought forward to prevent cluttering up the layout.

A spin-off of the period research was a good look at the rolling stock list. I found a number of empty spaces, most of them due to stock having been withdrawn as long as 20 years ago. These will help me assign numbers to new stock.

I have counted 56 C&DR goods and utility vehicles, including 4 P.O. vans, and 28 coal wagons owned by the Craigcorrie colliery. 5 are bogie vehicles and two are 6w brake vans. Coaching stock numbers 10 4-wheel, 10 bogie and one 6-wheel carriage. It's surprising how much stock you gather - most of these are under 30 years old, and many older ones are withdrawn or scrapped.

It may seem bone dry stuff to some of you, but actually this is a lot of fun.  :)

[tedp]

After the preliminaries described above, I started experimenting with running a late Victorian railway. I settled for 1880 and tweaked some of the dates for the rolling stock to be able to run a service at all. I had to compromise heavily and forget about all the items on the layout that don't fit. The entire tramway must be forgotten - there were no electric trams in 1880, no modern bicycles etc. The branch isn't supposed to have been built until 1915, but I pretended that it did exist, running a light service.

Here is the rolling stock roster for 1880.

steam loco - 6
4w passenger - 11
bogie pass - 1
6w passenger - 1
4wvan - 2
4wcattle - 3
4wopen - 10
4wflat - 3
utility - 2
mineral - 12
horse-drawn road vehicle 7

The number of steam locos probably exceeds what needed. I need a branch loco and one on shed having its boiler washed out. In normal service I expect one loco would work both the coal trains and the daily goods.

The locos in use are shown below. Nos. 3 and 6 are the only proper ones for this age. The Pugs are based on a 1886 standard gauge prototype which is the reason I took them in, despite their obvious design flaws (!). Brutus really is too modern, despite the antique cab and the long boiler look, but for the moment I need an extra loco for the goods service. The tram loco is really a beast of the late 1880s, with a wink at a Glyn Valley tram loco.













Amongst the 4w coaches are two brakes that double as goods brakes. I have no proper goods brakes of the period. On the coal trains, brakes are pinned down before descending, and the crew has to pray all goes well.





Apart from the passenger four-wheelers, there is the 1877 six-wheeler shown in the last photo, and a bogie vehicle introduced in 1875.
There are only two covered wagons, or vans if you like. The remainder is opens and a few flats. We will have to see how the service works out.

Looking at the standard timetable, all main line passenger services are run by one set of 5 four-wheelers, with the other stock thrown in as extra. The goods is run as a goods only, but I'm considering dropping either the goods or the mixed.

All services on the branch run mixed. I have taken some photos during operation which I will post later.

[tedp]

It's a little unnerving to see the railway in its infancy, with only a few locomotives and almost deserted sidings where I'm used to a busy service. But it's 1880 and the railway has only just opened through the Glenclachan Gorge.

Here is Inveraray shunting the recently-acquired NWNGR six-wheeler.



The 9am passenger from Rae Bridge to Craigcorrie pauses at Glenclachan Road, after 'Maid of the Loch' has lifted the train of four-wheelers through the Gorge and dropped two cattle wagons at the siding.



A very quiet yard at Inverlochan - a wagon here and there, and a saddle tank quietly simmering on the run-round. The colliery has just been extended after the coal seams underground proved exceptionally rich, but there is still a lack of wagons.



Oi! Get a move on and shift these wagons, Angus - the next load is due!



The branch train has just arrived in Dunalistair. Not a lot of traffic today. Perhaps the afternoon service will bring more.



Period scene as 'Catriona', a double-ended lug sailer, luffs to reach the ladder.

[Ross Chapman]

I love seeing your layout Ted, its very inspirational to me!

Giving me ideas for mine, I think I will be going for a date more around 1900-ish for my layout. Gives me a bit more scope with the fleet, but will allow me to keep the stock smaller.

[tedp]

Thanks, Ross. I will be trying out an 1890-1900 setting later.

[tedp]

Meanwhile, the Victorian age has struck at Dunalistair. Here is the branch engine shunting on the quay.



Now isn't this a nice Victorian platform scene?



A snapshot through the rigging of the paddle steamer.



And subsequently, the train seen from the beach below the lighthouse, on its way to Rae Bridge. The gulls aren't interested in trains.



At Rae Bridge, the two wagons have been dropped and the train is set back to the distillery to pick up another wagon. This is something you can do with a small engine and short coaches - they will run through the tight curve of the siding.



In view of the lack of covered wagons (otherwise known as closed vans) I decided to press into service a very old model suitable for the 1880s. This 1976-built model has outside wooden framing and has been withdrawn for some time. It used to be no. 33. Mick Thornton has its twin (no.34). I renumbered it 20, since 33 has been assigned to another vehicle.



Meanwhile, the down mixed from Craigcorrie pauses at Inverlochan.



Through an oversight of mine, the train lacks a carriage - the passengers have to travel in the brake van to Rae Bridge, where a carriage will be attached.



Pausing at Glenclachan Road, as a traveller's caravan passes below the bridge. Unaccountably, the bridge bears the date 1881 - another item out of period...



A short while later, the train descends through the depth of the Gorge.



At Rae Bridge, a bogie carriage is taken from the carriage shed and attached to the train.



Next, the loco is replaced by no. 6 which is more suited to this service. I'm still learning...  ;)

[tedp]

When paging through E.L.Ahrons 'The British Steam Railway Locomotive', vol. 1 from 1825-1925, looking for more information on Victorian steam locomotives, I found this remarkable standard gauge locomotive.

Source: http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:Im1925Env139-p317.jpg

The original photo evidently comes from an early issue of The Engineer.  Ahrons says that this loco, built by Neilson & Co in 1850 as a light branchline 2-2-2T, was rebuilt in the 1870s, at which time the saloon was added.

The time frame of the 1870s gives me an excuse to add my little inspection locomotive, which I always related to the Drummond Bug (used 1895-1912), to the Victorian time frame. I always thought it was more appropriate for the 1870s-1890s than the turn of the century. I'll put it down for the 1875-1895 era instead.

[tedp]

I'm still finding my feet in this, and there are obvious gaps in the stock which I had to fill with other items. Perhaps a good incentive for more model building. At the moment I only use two tracks in the return loops at Craigcorrie. The bare station yards with only a few wagons in sight remind me of early railway photos.

The main challenge will be preventing the layout becoming over-populated in later periods. The present stock list already has far too many big engines to run a railway, even if six of them are stored in the return loops. Maybe I should think of alternative scenarios in the same time frame. But that's something to be solved later.

Returning to the Victorian age, here is a coal train leaving Inverlochan. The train is composed of 8 dumb-buffer coal wagons, hauled by one of the Pugs.



After pinning down brakes, the train carefully descends the line, crossing the viaduct first.



Here the coal train arrives at Rae Bridge, where it will wait for the road to Dunalistair.



The mixed train meanwhile has arrived at Dunalistair:



Dunalistair has a fair number of Victorian or Edwardian passengers on the platform.

I decided to press into service two open wagons long withdrawn. Funny thing is, they look better than I expected. The only thing I must remember is to remove the brake pipes and add safety chains.

The four-wheeler is reminiscent of the Manx 'M' type (1873), and the bogie wagon may be thought of as a bit funny, until you realise the Ffestiniog introduced its first (wooden) bogie wagon in 1875. I'll have to close my eyes for the 1920s American diamond bogies which are off the tender of an Indiana Harbor Belt 0-8-0.



To be continued.

[Hugh Norwood]

Lovely photos as ever, Ted, but - talk about parallel worlds - do you have a doppelganger? Aren't you also at sea at present? Building wagons?

:)

[tedp]

Thanks, Hugh - I confess there is a bit of time lapse in the 'at sea' tale!

[tedp]

What gives me the most pleasure is running short trains with some of my old locos that have been relegated to menial duties (shunting or branch use) over the past years. They are back on the main line now and used far more intensively than they were before.

I'm not sure how to proceed with my plans for six-wheel stock and tourist saloons. I think I will have to make sure the four-wheelers are retired by 1900 just like the IoMR did (although those were paired on bogie chassis). Probably some sort of an idea will come up.

Recently I received a most extraordinary gift from Richard Glover - a MacBraynes Bedford bus in 4mm scale. He found it at a modelling show and bought it for me. This prompted... a blast from the future! We jump to about 1955.

Here the Dunalistair-Glenfinnan bus is waiting for the level crossing. A diesel-hauled train of empty coal stock is about to depart up the line. In the background another 1950s loco is simmering on the loco track - ex Tralee & Dingle Hunslet no. 3D.



Here the bus is waiting for passengers coming off the mountain tram, which thankfully is still running like its Manx counterpart.



Another view of Rae Bridge in the 1950s. The railbus languishing in the shed is not a good omen for the near future.



Back in 1880, we're in for a spot of shunting by old Inveraray. I'm now starting to enjoy running the railway with only a few engines as it should. I can devote more time to having fun with a single engine, watching the smooth running of this old well-worn mechanism.

Here Inveraray propels a flat wagon loaded with loco drivers to the Foundry. There isn't yet a Foundry shunter in this leisurely age, so she has to wait there for the load to be taken off.





Next there is some work to be done on the quay, gently setting back to three wagons waiting to be picked up.



Finally, the mixed departs for Rae Bridge, after having watered and coaled the engine.



Meanwhile, the coal train has been waiting at Rae Bridge. They picked up the brake van from the yard as the downhill run proved a bit 'interesting' without one. Another thing learned...



The mixed comes in from Dunalistair, clearing the road for the coal train.



After exchanging the train staff, the coal train departs down the line.



To be continued.

[Ross Chapman]

Oh I love seeing your layout Ted, very inspiring and nice to see the older era with the smaller engines works so well.

Just got to work out how small I can make an late 1890s /early 1900s period costal steamer to see if I can fit one into my minute harbour scene (I have about 4-6 inches that the coaster has to fit into!)