Introducing Coalbridge Street…

Last weekend saw the departure of Kohlenbachbrücke. The blank canvas of the LACK shelf waiting for its next scene. Continuing the Pont-y-dulais series, let me introduce ‘Coalbridge Street’…

December 2020 and I’m in bed with Covid. Chris Mears was building Coy and I had discovered the Claremont and Concord. In the weeks that followed a fascination with the last vestige of this system shuttling along the former inter-urban street trackage in Claremont led to a series of layout ideas and schemes as well as the creation of the 31, a distinctive red 44 ton switcher. However, whilst I did make an abortive start on ‘Coy in a box’ I had always felt I couldn’t do the prototype justice in the space I had available. At this stage I had built Pont-y-dulais and Kinross and the third (top) shelf was too high for a layout (although Bear Creek did appear temporarily at Christmas ‘21). Yet it is interesting to reflect now that the Claremont Paper scheme always felt the most achievable…

I learnt after the departure of Pont-y-dulais that not everything ‘sticks’. Remember the 1st Gerald Road? That N gauge layout felt a good match to the space but whilst it worked and worked well, I learnt that for me the space wasn’t suited to a fully scenic N layout. In Friday’s update you’ll have spotted my Irish OO collection on the shelf. I’ve got a 2 turnout composition planned for this, but mapping things out on the shelf I just felt I was trying to squeeze it in, it was not the right fit for the shelf available. Remember, marry your space to a prototype!

 

It’s funny how fate intervenes, even before Kohlenbachbrücke had left the seed was planted. The red shunter reminded me of the ‘red switcher’ and that led to the distillation of the success of the scheme in last week’s ‘Imagination, Inspiration and the double tuning fork’ post. I couldn’t get number 31 out of my head, before long the Irish stock was away and I was measuring up the requirements for 31 and some 40’ box cars! Hours later I had ordered a second Y turnout and the die was cast… 

I tried working on my iPad but surrounded by paper reference material it was the feel of pen on paper, tracing out the ideas on to familiar old lined paper note books that moved me quickly along, the medium able to keep pace with my developing thoughts, freed from the ‘it needs to be perfect’ I sometimes feel when working digitally. Tom Nelligan and Iain Rice, the prototypes and inspiration fuelling my imagination. This sounds, written down and read back to be quite frantic… that’s not what I mean nor experienced, it was more tactile and natural, perhaps hence more mindful to stay away from the internet in this work.

 

The result is basically ‘Claremont Paper’ (linked above) mapped on to Kohl. I have remixed things slightly, as I intend to use the right hand side of the composition as the throat of ‘Lavalley’ building supplies yard. This is all quite tight in just over a metre and to fit the 44 tonner and two cars in the headshunt required interlacing of the Peco turnouts (see above).

My imagination didn’t stop there though, thoughts of Rice’s East Suffolk Railroad and my own Ballard and Wantage both felt like they could exercise themselves in this scheme… the former on the side of a green 40’ boxcar, the latter if I manage to repair the drive on my second, unfinished GE 70 tonner!

More, I’ve had a long desire to feature a length of code 55 light weight track. I managed a few lengths on Bear Creek but I was never really very happy with how this was put together. This time I’m using Code 75 which means the track bases aren’t quite as neat as when using Code 83, but the Lavalley yard area will all be in 55. A lot of the 75 on the left will be buried in the road, so the contrast will be the turnouts and the balance will feel ‘light’ I think, certainly I’m excited, very excited about this!

 

This weekend has been slow. 

The moments I’ve had thinking and working on Coalbridge Street savoured. 

I like the relationship I have formed with my personal modelling in recent months, more balanced and reflective. Whilst I’m excited and keen to progress I recognise the constraints that family life and my health put upon this and so rather than cutting MDF and rushing on I would be happy with Paddington style cardboard cut outs. More seriously soldering up the code 55 rail joints will mean I can experiment with my ideas for gradient the left of the layout. No rush and no expectation.

This has become something of a long winded and slightly rambling introduction. My energy is low this morning, my concentration suffering. Reflecting and getting lost in old materials distracting (whilst enjoyable), I hope that you’ve followed in the most part - and can see where I’m planning to take things this autumn. Until next time, more soon…

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