I think I’m going to build me a station (or a garden shed)

Right now, the temptation is getting a bit too much to resist. Wingham Canterbury Road calls too strongly. These stills from the Pathé newsreel were the last straw to be honest. For reasons that I shall expand upon shortly, the building has such character for me. The tall gentleman stood on the station platform really emphasizes how small the structure is. He makes it seem toy-like in a way, which just adds to the charm.

There are not many photographs of the building out there. John Scott-Morgan’s book on The East Kent Railway subtitled “The line that went to nowhere”, (Pen & Sword Books), has two clear photographs of the structure, and these are pretty much the same angle of view that can be seen in the photographs at The Disused Stations Website. 

I used to own a copy of the Oakwood Press book on the line and to be honest, I can’t recall any other different photographs of the structure in it. Perhaps if someone who owns the book could take a look and let me know. 

Scott-Morgan’s book has photographs of other station buildings on the line, and there does seem to be a “family style” to many of them, (and this is what really seals the charm factor for me). This family style seems to be based around the humble garden shed. But it is a definite style. All these “garden sheds” are arranged around a covered shelter area in different permutations. The buildings at Eyethorne and Staple were the same format but brick built, and Woodnesborough station was clapboard. The building at Shepherdswell, the start of the line had a section of tongue and groove at one end and clapboard at the other. Clearly garden sheds were on sale somewhere. 

A selection of East Kent Railway Station Buildings

Something else that conveniently ties everything into my garden shed theory. The most popular size of garden shed in the UK is eight feet by six feet, and the “units” that these structures are built around appear to be… You’ve guessed it. Eight feet by six feet. There’s no doubt that taken singly, each unit does look like a garden shed. 

With all the photographs in the book, it was quite easy to cross reference details, put things together and come up with a reasonably good drawing. It’s not exact, but I think it certainly captures the spirit of the prototype structure pretty well.

Wingham Canterbury Road Station. Early draft.

So the other day I slid over to my local hobby shop and stocked up with the various styrene sheets that I’ll need to start the project. Wintry weather may be a little late getting to Minnesota this year, but it will be here soon enough, and then I’ll be pretty well stuck inside for a while. I’d better get all my projects lined up.

Memories and Schemes

So many memories awakened.

Right now, assembling this rake of goods wagons may be one of the best things I’ve ever done. It brought back so many memories of what I’ve done in the past, particularly my interest in light railways and model railway layout plans based on them.

The first was probably Belchford Road in EM gauge. A terminus with a kickback siding that by necessity had to be cable shunted. That was fun to do, and always drew an interested crowd whenever it happened. It’s too bad that no pictures remain.

I remember the station on that layout. It was inspired by the structure on the light railway that really fired my interest in the subject. 

Wingham Canterbury Road. 

I forget where I saw my first picture of the station. Model Railway Journal perhaps. But this short dirt platform with corrugated iron walls and the small wooden station building struck a chord with me. I took these screen shots from this wonderful Pathé video from another time to illustrate the charm.

I had seen pictures of other prototype single line termini (SLT) Dyserth, Eyemouth, and Old Ynysybwl for example but I never considered them as subjects for a layout. They did nothing for me. Eyemouth had a really delightful station building that respected modeller Ian Futers has reproduced many times on his different layouts. Lovely as it was, it didn’t interest me. 

But Wingham Canterbury Road was different. The platform is so short that the station name feels longer! That scruffy, cinder platform can’t be much more than 50’ long. That’s just about 14” in O gauge. A true micro station. The station building itself can’t be much bigger than 6’ x 18’. So much charm in such a small space. No wonder I was captivated. 

Seeing my goods train assembled started me thinking about modelling this station again. This time in O. Wouldn’t it be fun to build it and see a mixed train stood at the platform?

Wagons Roll!

My Stock

Over the past few years, I have slowly accumulated enough stock to run a small shunting layout, and over those same years I have been just as slowly trying to build them. During Covid my wife and I started building a pair of Slater’s pre-printed open wagon kits. But my wife got frustrated with the assembly of them. Tiny, hair thin springs and 12BA nuts of the sprung buffers were a bit much (let's face it they’re a bit much for a lot of people). So we shelved that idea. Once in a while, I’d look at the kits and clean up a few parts ready for the day when I’d assemble them. There alway seemed to be something else that I was working on though.

Well, the day came on Monday, and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday too, and by the time I sat down for a cuppa tea on Thursday afternoon. I had a complete, short, light railway-esque goods train.

This fills me with joy.

Some wagons need a trip to the paint shop of course, followed by a dash of weathering for all. But right now I am very happy. Very happy indeed.

I first thought about working on an O scale layout in my twenties. Long before the world of micro layouts, I had picked up a couple of wagons, including the Midland Railway brake van at a model railway exhibition. I adore that style of brake van. It absolutely screams “light railway” at me. 

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway had something that was very similar. It may even have been an ex-Midland Railway one. I think I may even have had the Slater’s kit in 4mm scale/EM gauge too.

I bought many of the Oakwood Press and Wild Swan Books about several of England’s unique and obscure light railways, figuring that a model of such a light railway was the way into the “king of scales”. But ultimately back then, O scale was still too expensive for my wallet, and my flat was pretty small. But I’ve always wanted to work in O. 

As you probably know, I have other blogs out there where I’ve explored American O scale schemes. Here and Here.  But they haven’t got off the ground fully yet, and may never. 

But this. Just looking at this short train, all those memories come flooding back to me. I love it when the hobby awakens memories like this. Oh how I wish that I hadn’t got rid of all those books when I emigrated to the USA a quarter of a century ago. (I shudder to think how much it would cost to replace them now). There was so much inspiration in those.

This picture of that “goods train” just feels so good to me. It’s a culmination of years of dreams. Now I definitely need to build that layout.

If you missed it…

This weekend was the Gauge O Guild Virtual Model Railway Exhibition. Originally born of the Covid pandemic, this online experience took the place of Gauge O Shows like the annual “Guildex” extravaganza. As modellers couldn’t come to see layouts and attend the workshops and clinics. The Guild brought them to us through the internet. Not just Guild members too. Everyone was able to take a look at what the O scale community had to offer. Layout tours through YouTube, clinics and workshops via Zoom sessions. It was great stuff. There were traders too, like any good model railway exhibition. Some traders use the opportunity to make product announcements, some would have “show specials”. It was everything you’d expect from a model railway exhibition, but without the push and shove of fighting your way through crowds and no risk of Covid-19 infection. The first show was in 2020 and there has been one every year since. 

As a model railway enthusiast and Guild member living in the USA, I haven’t been able to attend any model railway exhibitions in the UK at all, let alone Guildex. So to be able to sample O scale specific material is great. I have even bought from traders, and the Guild, through the show.

As you can expect, the majority of the layouts on show are large room filling masterpieces. But this year, there was definitely a swing towards smaller layouts. Layouts in smaller rooms. There were no micro layouts, but there were layouts that could certainly be described as “in the spirit of a micro”. 

With smaller layouts to view, this years show was a very enjoyable experience, and I came away feeling impressed and inspired. As I’m currently mulling over the idea of an O scale micro layout, perhaps this will nudge me along. Perhaps I could have a micro layout on show next year.

A big personal thanks goes out from me to everyone involved putting it all together. It is most appreciated. 

The virtual exhibition is available to view until the end of November. I recommend that you pop over to the Guild website and follow the “revisit” link. You won’t regret it.

Refreshing your memories.

Was it really two and a half years ago that I first floated the idea of a micro layout called Nogg? At least that long. Two and a half years ago was the last time I posted here before Friday. The project stalled when I needed to order new buffers for my wife and I’s Slaters wagon projects. This was Covid time and the transatlantic mail service was slow and bad. (Now it’s just bad) I found my way into other projects in different scales.

The Nogg concept was first outlined in June 2020, and it has stuck with me ever since. So it must be a good idea.

That first sketch from 2020

The 4mm scale mock up.

That was where it stopped. Covid struck and the world changed. The project went on the back burner and other things came to the fore. Which was quite fortuitous in a way. My current 16mm scale 2’ gauge layout has enabled me to develop my skills and do things I could only dream of a few years ago. So, after attending a recent train show and being fired up with enthusiasm. I paid a quick visit to the concept again.

It still looks good

The board that this is laid on is 20” x 30”. For O scale standard gauge that’s a very small area indeed. Just a smidgeon over the four square feet micro layout limit. If I could slice an inch off the depth to 19” then it would qualify as a micro layout. 

The turnout hidden under the length of flex track is an old Atlas product, which has a sharp radius suitable for an industrial system, and you can just squeeze three Slaters open wagons in that front siding.

The concept still intrigues me, and revisiting it just now, makes me realize it’s still a good idea.

 

Happy National Model Railroad Month

Yes, here in the US of A, the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) took it upon themselves to declare November as “National Model Railroad Month”. Something I didn’t find out about until yesterday from a fellow modeller. Apparently it’s been going on since 2014. Which says a lot about the NMRA’s efforts to publicize it.

I vaguely remember taking part in a “take a model train to work day” a good few years ago, and being resoundingly ridiculed by some colleagues at work. So I have mixed feelings about it. I think most of the time we’re preaching to the converted, or shouting into a vacuum, (or both at the same time). 

I publish The Micro Model Railway Dispatch free e-zine, co-host The Micro Model Railroad Cartel podcast, and blog incessantly about any layout project I’m working on. I’m also taking a layout to the Granite City Train Show in St. Cloud, MN this month. So I think I do more than my fair share to publicize the hobby. 

Having recently returned from exhibiting at a local train show. I find myself full of enthusiasm and needing to do something. There’s a new project in 7/8ths inch to the foot scale on the horizon. But there’s a lot of scratch building required for that, and although I have a great concept for that scheme I don’t have a trackplan yet, and my unfamiliarity with such a huge scale causes me to doubt myself at times. This might be a longer term project.

So, just for fun the other day I pulled out one of my half-finished O scale Slaters Wagon kits. And finished it. Unbeknownst to me this was on November 1st. The first day of National Model Railroad Month. 

Co-incidence?

Co-incidence? Who knows?

Working the idea that any effort to publicize the hobby needs to be global. I thing we need to consider November as National Model Railway month as well. I have another four or five Slaters kits to finish plus some track from previously aborted projects. Perhaps I should take this opportunity to work on that longed-for O scale project.