Stephen Fay’s O gauge layouts and dioramas, Commission builds, personal builds and magazine articles

The base layer of scenics are down at Norton St Somers, still a lot to do yet.

 

Day two on the scenics

 

All quiet at Norton Saint Somers

 

Just a few jobs left to do on Norton Saint Somers,
My tribute to the last pines express that ran on September 8th 1962 before being rerouted via Oxford.

 

Many thanks, from a distance everything looks nicely painted but when you get up close you can see the rust setting in.

 

I’ve had this little Dapol pannier tucked away for some time now, 7714 with sound. It’s destined for Cardiff Canton so I thought I’d choose a local loco 7724 of Pontypool Road shed 86G, however she was a top feed fitted loco and had different tank fillers to the ones fitted. Warren Shephard castings added along with new steam, vac pipes, smoke box door dart and steam lance cock. Next job is to bend some wire for the top feed pipe then prime it and spray Halfords satin black.
Another little detail added at Norton Saint Somers again taking inspiration from Midsomers a nice set of fire buckets ( I’ll add real sand ) and finally some superb 3D printed bits for Marches Road coal stage which I hope to get back to next week.

 

The spotters are gathering at Norton Saint Somers to record the passage of the final weekend of Expresses to use the S&D.
All figures seen are included in the sale and there’s a few more to add.
We have a porter, signalman, Ganger, post man, milk man and another seated porter reading a news paper to come once painted.

 

Flashing on the chimney stacks and the telegraph wires added, a double surprise to see two layouts featured in the latest gazette

 

Planted a large tree in the man planted forest today ( lower right ) I’ll order another to sit along side it.

 

Back on With Marches Road and the ground cover on the western side of the shed.

 

Tantalisingly close to seeing St Stephen’s assembled in its entirety, next week will see the Holloway tunnel board bolted in place to complete all 20’ of the layout.

 

Barring one down pipe and it’s clips the Midland side of marches road is complete. I’ve got the fascia to add and the rear panel but that will be in one piece with the low relief buildings attached directly to it.

 

Made the most of the sunshine today to progress the western side of the shed, water cranes installed along with lamps, ground cover pretty much complete, next job is to add the mortar to the brick work and get the buildings firmly fixed in place.

 

Marches road A back story

Both the LNWR and GWR chose the same spot to construct their engine shed facilities, Giving that they both had equal operational powers on the joint line and their own lines that radiated away from the area, The shed operated as separate entities up until the 1930’s when making use of the loans and guarantees act the LMS and GW used a joint proposal to modify the shed and rid it of some of the more outdated structures, the biggest change seen the GWR coaling stage demolished and the 55’ turntable removed and a new mechanical coal hoist and 70’ turntable built, this was to allow the largest of the LMS Pacific’s to be turned and serviced, The rear part of the shed was very much a joint area of responsibility from that point on, however the GW used part of the loan to construct a new austere type of coaling stage at the front of the shed principally to coal it’s top link locomotives as the GW liked to keep its coal from getting damaged and broken up to much as often happened whilst using the mechanical hoist now installed. Thus provided a physical boundary between the shed fronts and a set of steps had to be installed so staff could access either side of the shed. In the immediate post Nationalisation years the status quo remained and marches road had two shed foreman’s and when the BR painters arrived at the shed they set about repainting using the new chocolate and cream on the western side and Midland maroon on the midland side. Part way through this a staff reorganisation came about after a BR inspection found that whilst the shed had good facilities the moral was low due to regional rivalries and a new single shed foreman was introduced and the shed finally became one entity. Regional colours had been dropped and a greater sense of cooperation promoted. From that point Western locos and midland locos used either side of the shed and it became possible to see a Princess ex works off Crewe shed along side an Old Oak King both being serviced together.
This layout / powered diorama is 6’ x 3’ about the size of a single bed which is how most of us start out in modelling with a board on our childhood bed. What this layout does is showcase a collection of locomotives and that’s exactly what the customer wants.