Industrial Exchange…

A few months ago I visited the North Tyneside Steam Railway in Newcastle. It was at that moment thoughts turned to industrial railway modelling after quite a hiatus after Victory...


As we trundled along the semi-surburban right of way, weaving between light industrial units, council houses and overgrown former railway infrastructure you could imagine a very different atmosphere choked with smog, coal everywhere and everything - fuel for homes, energy for industry and power, money in our pay-packet... 

This scheme however is not a direct descendent of this experience - rather it takes several previous ideas and works them into an interesting operational layout - the opportunity to model not the destination, but the exchange. Loaded trains arrive, are split and then taken down the staithes branch by smaller locomotives with cut down cabs for the limited clearance underpass... loads and empties are swapped on stage - and off stage. Most of the time something is moving, and on the occasions when less is happening the balance of overgrown nature and man made through the ages (old, modified, and new over bridges) giving the character of a line set at the end of its days. Run-down and tired infrastructure, work stained locomotives, internal user (Planet Industrial!!) MDOs...


Will this ever see the light of day? I'd love to build this... perhaps the lack of exhibition invites is my lack of exhibition layouts and 'if you build it, they will come'. However, anyone whom has visited my workshop will recognise the severe space limitations I have - and an exhibition layout that cannot be used at home and will be difficult to store feels like a non-starter. Remembering from 'Small Layout Design Handbook', marry the space to the prototype - here, I don't have the space. Do you? Perhaps this idea resonates with you? Until next time, more soon...


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Comments

  1. Lovely plan with lots of operational interest, and the opportunity for a mixture of locomotives and characterful wagons. I totally understand your space limitations, but I can just about picture how it might look if you did build it and I think it would look amazing - the contrast between nature and industry, flora and concrete, tranquillity and noise.

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    1. Yes thank you, I’m glad my sketches and description have painted a vivid enough picture for that, we will see! Plenty of projects in hand already, just nothing easily ‘exhibitable’ at present.

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    2. That's always the case! Your layout concept sketches are second to none for conveying the feel and inspiration for your ideas and I always look forward to seeing them!

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  2. I like this a great deal James. I’m curious about the change of levels on the left hand side, do you think there’s room to achieve this in 4mm in the available space?

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    1. I think so, we’re only talking the height of a 16t wagon or thereabouts in vertical clearance as the cut down models are no taller. That said I’ve not put any dimensions on it - whilst it just fits on a Lack Imat 110cm I think 4-6ft would be the optimum.

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  3. Hi James

    I really like ( as you might imagine ) your industrial based layouts. They always make me think where I could put something similar - although other longer term projects seem to get in the way.!! The idea of a junction between different parts of a system where there are change in locos is an interesting idea. In addition to your thoughts it could be a junction between a a quarry and a works system. Several cement works spring to mind, as does the Stewart & Lloyds Minerals/works system at Pen Green, Corby . Another thought might be a steel works where smaller works locos hand over to larger locos on the slag run.

    For some reason I was not aware of the North Tyneside railway but in reading a bit more about it I realise I visited the nearby Backworth and Burradon NCB systems back in 1971. So much has changed since then. If you are interested I will see how much of my notes and photos are relevant

    Hope the weekend is going well

    Best regards
    Alan

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    1. Thanks Alan, would love to see your more period photos from the area!

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    2. Hi James

      Have dug out the notes and some photos. I need to rescan some as dust was on the originals but should be able to send you something in the next day or so.

      Best regards
      Alan

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